Self-identified heterosexual African American/Black men engaging in male-to-male sexual encounters: Attitudes, behaviors and reasons for marriage.

摘要

This dissertation explores the lived experiences of nine Southern self-identified heterosexual married African American/Black men who engage in male-to-male sexual encounters. Although much has been written about sexual identity from a White gay perspective, there is no scholarship to date that explores the experiences of middle class, Southern African-American/Black men. In-depth interviews were conducted with nine Southern self-identified heterosexual married African American/Black men who engage in male-to-male sexual encounters. The interviews allowed the men to give voice to their reality and describe how they managed their different identities such as husband, father, worker, friend, church member, and family member. The interviews also brought out how the men manage their sexual identity, including engaging in male-to-male sexual encounters, and how the men use the term down low to define their identity. The Internet was the medium of choice to meet anonymous sexual partners and to explore their stigmatized sexual identity.; The findings of this study provide a view into the social, historical and cultural positions competing for the identities of these men. The findings of this phenomenological study reflect larger struggles over the terms used to define their sexual identity. For the men in this study, marriage and family provide benefits which are dear to them and not easily discarded. Marriage and family appear to be the "first line of defense" against a heterosexist society.