Black Masculinity Matters in Attitudes Toward Gay Males

TLDR

Recent work shows that males tend to hold more negative attitudes toward homosexuals than females, African Americans more negative than whites, and among African Americans women are thought to hold the greatest negative attitudes due to perceived competition for black male partners. The study investigates gender differences in African American attitudes toward homosexual men. It analyzes data from the National Black Politics Study. Multivariate analysis reveals that among African American females, age, income, education, and urban residence predict attitudes, whereas among males only religious attendance does, leading the authors to argue that black masculinity explains these gendered differences and that negative attitudes harm the black community’s physical and mental health. Keywords: homosexuality, social tolerance, black males, black masculinity, African American culture, black community, gender attitudes.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recent work on attitudes toward homosexuals promotes the view that males typically have more negative attitudes than females; and African Americans have more negative attitudes than their white counterparts. However, among African Americans, women are thought to have the greatest negative attitudes because they perceive themselves as competing for a limited pool of black male partners. This study uses the National Black Politics Study to examine African American gender differences in attitudes toward homosexual men. Multivariate findings show that of the variables analyzed: (1) Among African American females, age, income, education, and urban residence are statistically significant; and (2) among African American males, frequency of religious attendance was the only statistically significant variable. It is, therefore, argued that black masculinity explains the gendered differences and that negative attitudes within the African American community toward gay men contribute to debilitating both the physical and mental health of the entire black community. Key Words: Homosexualitysocial toleranceblack malesblack masculinityAfrican American cultureblack communitygender attitudes