Black Queer Men Transgressing Masculine Normativity

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study examined how Black queer men (BQM) in college conceptualized gender and sexuality as they navigated hegemonic and toxic forms of masculinity. Mobilizing queer of color critique, we delve into data from a multi-year critical ethnographic study to unearth the worldmaking practices that BQM engage to dislodge and disrupt the omnipresent gender norms they faced within postsecondary contexts. Our analysis yielded three themes related to BQM experiences with masculinities: (a) perspectives on hegemonic masculinities, (b) queering the politics of intimate and platonic relationships, and (c) institutionalized heteronormativity. We argue that BQM experience insidious forms of heteromasculinity, compulsory heterosexuality, and heterogenderism in college. We conclude by offering implications for higher education research, practice, and policy.

KEYWORDS:

• Black queer men
• queer of color critique
• masculinity

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1. Institutional ethos rooted in logics and discourses based on assumptions that privilege heterosexual and cisgender identities. As Medina (2021) explained, “In short, the education system contributes to LGBTQ+ people assuming that the role society expects them to play is secondary, submissive, and hidden (p. 91).

Additional information

Funding

This resarch was supported in part by the ACPA - College Student Educators International Coalition for Sexuality and Gender Identities Research Grant.