WGSS Research

Proposal
Presentation
Tianni Ivey
“The Politics of Coming Out: Race, Family, and
Does It Still Matter?”

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ladelle McWhorter, WGSS

 Project Aims
Explore:

● The decision-making process behind coming out about one’s sexuality

○ How race plays a role in assessing the risks and benefits of publicly navigating sexuality
● How do racial identities and cultural assumptions about sexuality impact coming-out?
○ Sexuality may introduce additional distress to an already complicated American minority experience

Primary consideration of focus ⇒ reactions of loved ones and the importance of preserving familial dynamics among
communities of color, specifically Black communities

Why does it remain morally imperative that LGBTQ people come out about their sexuality, from where does this pressure stem,
and is the decision to come out more difficult for racial minorities due to culture and the relationship between race and family?
 Background
Discussing personal experiences, which led to:

● Questioning the imperative

● Intersection of race and sexuality
● How race impacts family structures and dynamics
○ The role family members play in defining and understanding sexuality, gender, identity, &
expression
○ Black “hyper-homophobia”

Significance:

● Reference point for increased and improved coalition-building within feminist and LGBTQ movements
● How to better support Black queer persons as families—and as larger support networks—in a white,
patriarchal, heteronormative society
 Additional Questions
Is there actually more to consider when coming out because of one’s racial identity, and if the consideration of
racial identity and culture makes the decision process easier or more difficult?

What kinds of cultural differences account for the possibility that coming out is more difficult for racial
minorities than for whites?

Do Black conceptions of masculinity and femininity, as well as familial structures and their reliance of these
conceptions, alter the politics of coming out?
 Plan for Research
Phase 1

Reading of texts on:

● The history of coming out

● Black feminism
● Intersectionality as it relates to race, gender expression, and sexual identity
● Sex politics

Work with University of Richmond faculty members

● Connect dots between my research and topics of race, gender, and sexuality
● Across departments such as WGSS, Political Science, Rhetoric and Communication Studies,
Anthropology, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, and American Studies
 Plan for Research
Phase 2

Speak to LGBTQ individuals in two separate focus groups

● Racially identify as either Black or white

● Personal experiences of coming out and its impact on their familial relationships

What I am looking for:

● Similarities & differences in perceptions of sexuality and experiences in deciding to/not to come out
between the two racial groups
● Similarities and differences across lines of gender both intra- and interracially
● If either, or both, groups identify generational differences among their respective families and cultural
communities as a stressor to consider when coming out
 Focus Group Questions
How do you identify on the sexuality spectrum and
for how long have you identified that way?
Are you out, and if so, to which groups in your
personal and professional networks?
How did/does your family factor into your decision
to come out, or to not come out?
How did/does your racial and/or cultural community
play a role in your decision to come out, or to not
come out?
What additional factors did you consider when
making your decision?
Is it more or less difficult to be white/Black and
LGBTQ than it is to be Black/white and LGBTQ?
Does the Black community tend to have specific
views on sexuality and the expression of sex and
gender?
How does your family view the LGBTQ community
and is there a considerable difference in opinion
across lines of gender and age?
Do you think that the experience of coming out in
your racial community differs for men and women
within that community?
Questions?