Gay is (Not) Okay?: Queer Identities at an All-Women's Historically Black College

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  • November 30, 2020
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  • Swann, Alix
    • Affiliation: Institute of African American Research, Moore Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (MURAP)
Abstract
  • The homophobic climates of many Historically Black Colleges and Universities force students to hide their queer identities. This phenomenon is especially apparent at Spelman College, an all-women's historically Black college in Atlanta, Georgia. While a narrative exists in the media that all student identities are accepted at all-women's institutions, as well as all Black students accepted at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), in reality, students at these institutions choose to accept only some identities while excluding others. Unfortunately, the queer community encompasses many of these "unacceptable" identities to the student body. As a result, some queer students at HBCUs feel it is necessary to hide their identities to ensure their own safety, rather than risk being targeted and possibly facing backlash due to their sexual preferences. The present study intends to challenge the narrative of the heterosexual, cisgender norms of Spelman College. I will challenge the narrative by detailing the intricacies of the identity regulation that occurs for queer people. The identity regulation occurs after their introduction to the heteronormative culture, a culture that adheres to dominant heterosexual norms, existing at Spelman. This includes an introduction to "down-low" culture created by queer students who pretend to be straight in public. The identity regulation, I argue, is partly due to the trauma queer students experience as a result of the respectability politics imposed on students. I have designed a pilot study to investigate the creation of queer identities within Spelman’s intolerant ecosystem. My research interest is rather personal and stems from my own experiences of being queer at an all-women's historically Black college in the south. Before I got to Spelman, I thought I would be entering an inclusive environment, however when I arrived and observed the culture, it was a much different story. My experiences include being berated by aggressions such as "f*** gay people," receiving questions about why I choose to be attracted to women, and withholding disclosing my sexuality to my freshman year roommate for fear of rejection. Thus, my life has been more difficult than I imagined before attending Spelman. I am interested in finding out why homophobia still exists in a space originally designed to center all Black women and combat intolerance. Finally, I will offer solutions to the college to support queer students by investigating how the identities of queer individuals are formed and regulated at an all-women's HBCU.
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  • Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (MURAP)
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  • Regester, Charlene
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies

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