Navigating and Negotiating Identity in the Black
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Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Educational Policy Studies Dissertations Department of Educational Policy Studies Spring 5-15-2015 Navigating And Negotiating Identity In The Black Gay Mecca: Educational And Institutional Influences That ositivP ely Impact The Life Histories Of Black Gay Male Youth In Atlanta Michael Bartone Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/eps_diss Recommended Citation Bartone, Michael, "Navigating And Negotiating Identity In The Black Gay Mecca: Educational And Institutional Influences That ositivP ely Impact The Life Histories Of Black Gay Male Youth In Atlanta." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2015. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/eps_diss/118 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Educational Policy Studies at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Educational Policy Studies Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ACCEPTANCE This dissertation, NAVIGATING AND NEGOTIATING IDENTITY IN THE BLACK GAY MECCA: EDUCATIONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL INFLUENCES THAT POSITIVELY IMPACT THE LIFE HISTORIES OF BLACK GAY MALE YOUTH IN ATLANTA, by Michael D. Bartone, was prepared under the direction of the candidate’s Dissertation Advisory Committee. It is accepted by the committee members in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Philosophy, in the College of Education, Georgia State University. The Dissertation Advisory Committee and the student’s Department Chairperson, as representatives of the faculty, certify that this dissertation has met all standards of excellence and scholarship as determined by the faculty. _________________________________ Kristen Buras, PhD. Committee Chair _________________________________ _________________________________ Joyce E. King, PhD. Jodi Kaufmann. PhD. Committee Member Committee Member _________________________________ _________________________________ Deron R. Boyles, PhD. Maura Ryan, PhD. Committee Member Committee Member _________________________________ Date _________________________________ William Curlette, PhD. Chairperson, Department of Educational Policy Studies _________________________________ Paul A. Alberto, PhD. Dean, College of Education AUTHOR’S STATEMENT By presenting this dissertation as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the advanced degree from Georgia State University, I agree that the library of Georgia State University shall make it available for inspection and circulation in accordance with its regulations governing materials of this type. I agree that permission to quote, to copy from, or to publish this dissertation may be granted by the professor under whose direction it was written, by the College of Education’s Director of Graduate Studies, or by me. Such quoting, copying, or publishing must be solely for scholarly purposes and will not involve potential financial gain. It is understood that any copying from or publication of this dissertation which involves potential financial gain will not be allowed without my written permission. Michael Bartone NOTICE TO BORROWERS All dissertations deposited in the Georgia State University library must be used in accordance with the stipulations prescribed by the author in the preceding statement. The author of this dissertation is: Michael D. Bartone Department of Educational Policy Studies College of Education Georgia State University The director of this dissertation is: Dr. Kristen Buras Department of Educational Policy Studies College of Education Georgia State University Atlanta, GA 30303 CURRICULUM VITAE Michael Dominic Bartone ADDRESS: 4486 Pineridge Cir. Dunwoody, GA 30338 EDUCATION: Ph.D. 2015 Georgia State University Educational Policy Studies, Social Foundations MED. 2007 Seattle University Curriculum & Instruction Elon University B.S. 2000 Elementary Education PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 2011-present Graduate Teaching Assistant Georgia State University 2008-2011 Teacher Civicorps Schools 2007-2008 Educational Consultant education.com PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS: Bartone, M. (2010). Cultural applications: Ideas for teacher education programs. Perspectives on Urban Education, 7(1), 91-95. International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI). (2015, May). Black and Gay in the South: I Will Not Be Society’s Stereotype! Champaign, IL. International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI.) (2015, May). Analysis and Interpretation With Narrative Inquiry: The Tensions of Staying True to the Participants’ Story While Utilizing a Critical Race Theoretical Perspective. Champaign, IL. American Educational Research Association (AERA). (2015, April). “I know my own self worth”: Creating Educational Lessons of Masculinity for African American Male (co-presented with Jennifer Esposito, Myles Irving, Brian Harmon, and Romero Stokes). Chicago, IL. Queer Studies Conference (2015, April).“You not gonna hurt my feelings or destroy who I worked so hard to become because I’m not straight:” Influences in the Identity Formation of Black Gay Young Males. Asheville, N.C. Queer Studies Conference (2015, April). Smartphone Applications for Gay Men: A Place of Exclusion Within a Place of Inclusion. Asheville, N.C. International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI). (2014, May). No Other Races, No Fems Apply: Gay Men’s Smartphone Applications, A Space of Exclusion? Champaign, IL. International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI). But Internet and Cell Phone Methodologies Don’t Fit: A Call for Smartphone Applications Methodology. Champaign, IL. International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI). (2014, May). Youth Definitions of Race and Sexuality via New Social Media (co-presented with David Alexander and Jennifer Young). Champaign, IL. Southeast Philosophy of Education Society (SEPES). (2014, February). Who Needs Gay-Straight Alliances When There is Jack’d: Creating Underground Safe Spaces for Black Gay Males in High School. Decatur, GA. Ethnographic and Qualitative Research Conference. (2014, February). Brothers Gonna Work It Out: African American Males’ Perceptions of Manhood (co-presented with Jennifer Esposito, Myles Irving, Brian Harmon, and Romero Stokes). Las Vegas, NV. International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI). (2013, May). Choosing from Lookalikes: The Quagmire of a Student of Qualitative Research Methodology. Champaign, IL. American Educational Research Association (AERA). (2014, April). The Fight for Black Liberation in Schools: An Oral History of Civil Rights Lawyer Howard Moore, Jr. San Francisco, CA. PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONS 2011- American Educational Research Association 2011- American Educational Studies Association 2010- National Association of Multicultural Educators NAVIGATING AND NEGOTIATING IDENTITY IN THE BLACK GAY MECCA: EDUCATIONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL INFLUENCES THAT POSITIVELY IMPACT THE LIFE HISTORIES OF BLACK GAY MALE YOUTH IN ATLANTA by Michael D. Bartone A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Policy Studies in the Department of Educational Policy Studies in the College of Education Georgia State University Atlanta, GA 2015 Copyright by Michael D. Bartone 2015 ABSTRACT NAVIGATING AND NEGOTIATING IDENTITY IN THE BLACK GAY MECCA: EDUCATIONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL INFLUENCES THAT POSITIVELY IMPACT THE LIFE HISTORIES OF BLACK GAY MALE YOUTH IN ATLANTA Michael D. Bartone Sexual minority people face a heterosexist society in which they are legally and socially marginalized. Additionally, Black people face a society where racist attitudes and laws persist, one in which they are dehumanized as "other" in relation to Whites. Furthermore, being a Black male means confronting a system where, beginning in elementary school, one is frequently deemed deficient or deviant and penalized by racist practices and policies. Very few studies have examined how Black gay males come to understand their intersecting racial and sexual identities or how they navigate and negotiate life in a White heterosexist society. This dissertation outlines the current state of sexual minority youth with a focus on Black gay males and suggests that more must be done to understand the lived experiences of this community within and beyond the schoolhouse, especially in a city such as Atlanta, which is known as a Black gay mecca and where the Black sexual minority community is visible. It is important to examine how a range of institutional forces, working in tandem with and sometimes against racism and heterosexism, challenge as well as assist Black gay males in forming their identities. ii The purpose of the study was to gather the life histories of five young Black sexual minority males aged 19-24 in metro-Atlanta. I utilized critical race theory and quare theory, which critique endemic racism and heteronormativity, as a lens to understand their life histories within a larger societal context. By probing how numerous social institutions have influenced young Black male identity formation, including schools, peers, family, church, community-based LGBTQ organizations, and social media, this study presents life histories in a way that provides a more holistic picture of this community. Due to the paucity of research focused on how young Black gay males are productively navigating through life, this study offers a distinct contribution by placing their