Reframing the Power of Lesbian Daughters' Relationships With Mothers Through Black Feminist Thought

Abstract

The present article uses Black feminist thought to recast the discussion of Black lesbians' coming out to their mothers from a dismal experience to a personal liberatory endeavor influenced by their mothers' instructions on Black womanhood. The literature usually depicts coming out in Black families as an arduous task that often is delayed or never transpires for Black lesbians. However these findings are often void of a cultural relevant analysis of lesbian identity development and Black mother–daughter bonds. The article examines how Black mothers' can be extremely influential in their daughters' decision to proclaim their lesbian identity.