Familismo, Religiosidad, and Marianismo: College Latina Lesbians Navigating Cultural Values and Roles

ABSTRACT

Studies on Latinx/a/o queer and trans students showcase how they navigate cultural expectations tied to their ethnicity about sexuality, gender roles, and gender expression. A predominant focus in this research has been understanding how gay Latino cisgender men exist within and resist systems of patriarchy and hypermasculinity. However, because of the focus on gay Latino men’s experiences, the lives of Latina lesbians have been overlooked in educational research. What does exist illustrates that Latina lesbians face heightened marginalization when attempting to integrate their culture with their lesbian identity given the intersections of sexism, heterosexism, and. In light of such findings, it is crucial to better understand how Latina lesbians make meaning of their identities, especially as they reflect on cultural influences. The purpose of this study was to examine how Latina lesbian college students navigate cultural values and roles. The following research question guided this study: how do Latina lesbians enrolled in college describe the experience of negotiating cultural norms in relationship to their sexuality? Findings will be instrumental for higher education professionals across institutional types as they support students at the intersections of racially and sexually minoritized identities, and especially Latina lesbians.

KEYWORDS:

• Latina lesbians
• sexual identity development
• sexual minorities
• Hispanic-serving institution
• religious beliefs
• attitudes toward homosexuality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).