Understanding African American Lesbian and Gay Identity Development Within a Historically Black College Environment

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to conduct an examination of experiences associated with LG identity development among African American college students. Specifically, the study focused on LG identity development within the environment of HBCU institutions. There were a combined total of 13 participants in the study. Participants were recruited from two Historically Black Colleges in the Southern region of the United States. The study was divided into two phases; phase I was a survey study completed online and phase II was a phone interview. A total of two males and eleven females participated in the online survey of the study and a total of 8 participants, two males and six females participated in phase II of the study. The current study found that LG African American students view HBCU environments as hostile toward homosexual lifestyles. It additionally renders support to the negative impact of this environment which could have hindering consequences to LG identity development