Narratives of Racial Sexual Preference in Gay Male Subculture
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Narratives of Racial Sexual Preference in Gay Male Subculture Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Crockett, Jason Lee Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 24/09/2021 21:20:10 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/204275 NARRATIVES OF RACIAL SEXUAL PREFERENCE IN GAY MALE SUBCULTURE by Jason Lee Crockett _____________________________ Copyright © Jason Lee Crockett 2010 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2010 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Jason Lee Crockett entitled Narratives of Racial Sexual Preference in Gay Male Subculture and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy ________________________________________________ Date: July 20, 2010 Erin Leahey (Co-Chair) ________________________________________________ Date: July 20, 2010 Stephen T. Russell (Co-Chair) ________________________________________________ Date: July 20, 2010 Ronald L. Breiger Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate‟s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. ________________________________________________ Date: July 20, 2010 Dissertation Co-Director: Erin Leahey ________________________________________________ Date: July 20, 2010 Dissertation Co-Director: Stephen T. Russell 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: Jason Lee Crockett 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation greatly benefited from the many graduate student colleagues who read and provided feedback at various stages in this research and/or provided invaluable friendship and moral support. Particular thanks to Kelly Bergstrand, Cindy Cain, Karen Gordon, Katie Hoegeman, Monika Ulrich, Scott Savage, Jennifer Schultz, Sarah Strand, Monica Whitham, Megan Wright, Seth Wright as members of various dissertation reading groups. Special thanks to Monika Ulrich for unwavering friendship, and for being a constant cheerleader and sounding board. I have also benefitted from my committee members‟ constant support and advice on this research and in other studies and endeavors. Ron Breiger has provided constant inspiration and challenge, particularly in the areas of social theory and cultural analysis. Stephen Russell has been a role model for me both as a sexualities scholar and a queer academic and never lets me undervalue myself or my work. Erin Leahey has been a mentor since my very first day of graduate school. I count myself very fortunate to have been assigned to her for my first graduate assistantship, as her guidance and good humor have been invaluable as I have moved through my graduate studies and into the start of an academic career. I am especially grateful to my husband and life partner Allen Crockett for emotional, domestic, and every other type of support. He has been along for the entire journey, for better and for worse. I am thankful for his presence and appreciative of his patience. Thanks also to our many friends and neighbors at StoneCurves co-housing community and Rincon Congregational United Church of Christ, who have been constant sources of support and encouragement in the dissertation and job seeking process. Financial support came from a Dissertation Research Grant from the Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Institute at the University of Arizona and assistantship funding by the Department of Sociology at the University of Arizona. Finally, thanks goes out to all the interviewees who took the time to share with me about an intimate part of their lives. 5 DEDICATION To my mother, for starting my university experience at the age of five – an experience that never really ended. To my grandparents, for believing in the value of education and for believing in me. To my husband and life partner Allen, for coming with me when I chased a dream and for sharing in all the ups and downs that come with pursing a doctorate degree. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ……………………………………………………………………....8 LIST OF FIGURES ……………………………………………………………………..9 ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………………………………10 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………….. 11 Overview ………………………………………………………………………. 11 Background ……………………………………………………………………. 12 Statement of Purpose and Research Questions ………………………………... 13 Methodological Overview ……………………………………………………...14 Researcher Perspective ………………………………………………………... 16 Assumptions …………………………………………………………………… 17 Significance …………………………………………………………………….18 Chapter Outline ………………………………………………………………... 19 CHAPTER 2: “DAMN, I‟M DATING A LOT OF WHITE GUYS”: GAY MEN‟S INDIVIDUAL NARRATIVES OF RACIAL SEXUAL PREFERENCE DEVELOPMENT...……………………………………………………………………. 21 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………. 21 Background and Previous Research .…………………………………………... 21 The Current Study ……………………………………………………………... 33 Data and Methods ………………………………………………………………36 Results and Discussion ………………………………………………………... 39 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………….. 53 CHAPTER 3: BLACK AND WHITE MEN TOGETHER: THE CASE OF THE DISAPPEARING ORGANIZATIONAL NARRATIVE OF RACIAL SEXUAL PREFERENCE ………………………………………………………………………... 60 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………. 60 Background and Previous Research .…………………………………………... 61 Data and Methods ……………………………………………………………... 69 Results and Discussion ………………………………………………………... 71 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………….. 83 CHAPTER 4: USING RACIAL SEXUAL PREFERENCE TO CRITIQUE CONTEMPORARY THEORIES OF THE NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF SEXUAL DESIRE …………………………………………………………………….. 88 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………. 88 The Problem of Racial Exoticism and Eroticism ……………………………… 90 The Nature of (Racial) Sexual Desire …………………………………………. 97 Dynamical Systems of (Racial) Sexual Development ………………………...105 7 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………. 111 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………. 114 Major Themes and Findings ………………………………………………….. 114 Limitations and Future Research ……………………………………………... 117 Final Remarks …………………………………………………………………120 APPENDIX A: INTERVIEW INSTRUMENT ……………………………………... 122 REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………………….. 130 8 LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 – Gay Slang Terms for Racial Preferences …………………………………. 58 Table 2.2 – Interview Participant Demographics ………………………………………59 9 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1 – Change in Discussion of Racial Sexual Preference over Time in Black and White Men Together Archival Materials ……………………………………………… 87 10 ABSTRACT My dissertation uses multiple methods to introduce the novel concept of racial sexual preference – individuals‟ preferences for a sexual or romantic partner based on race. This project builds on an insight from Daryl Bem‟s “Exotic Becomes Erotic” theory of sexual development: a diverse set of sexual preferences exists beyond gender. I argue the very real social consequences of race make preferences in regard to it (sexual or otherwise) an important area for systematic study. I focus on gay male subculture, which has uniquely developed a terminology for expressing racial preferences. I investigate how racial preference is understood and organized within this subculture by collecting gay men‟s sexual history narratives of cross-race preferences through interviews, as well as collecting archival materials from the national organization Black and White Men Together (BWMT) that pertain to racial sexual preference. I find that racial sexual preferences are experienced early in the life course and are consistent over time, similarly to experiences of gendered sexual orientation, though generally less exclusive. Unlike gendered sexual orientation, identities are unlikely to form in relation to racial sexual preferences because there is little ideological structure to support expression of cross-race racial preferences. Even within the organizational structure of BWMT, founded to support racial sexual preferences, over time I find a decrease in discourse and identity related to racial sexual preference (in favor of a colorblind ideal of preferences). I end my study by using the concept of racial sexual preference, supported by the findings from interviews and case study, to build on and challenge the theoretical work of Daryl Bem, Lisa Diamond, and James Giles in the area of sexual development and desire. 11 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Overview This dissertation explores the phenomenon of sexual or romantic preferences based on race, or “racial