Exploring black middle class homosexual men’s shifting experiences and conceptions of intimacy

Abstract: Studies on the Black middle class mainly pay attention on heterosexual married couples with children. This erroneously suggests that the Black middle class is comprised of only a heterosexual nuclear family type. However, with the growth of female-headed households and the legalisation of gay unions in South Africa, it is important to not ignore the lived experiences of gay men and lesbian women, regarding their middle-class status and their intimate lives. There is a lack of studies on the Black middle class as experienced by gay men and how it influences their experiences of intimacy. Thus, this study aimed to look at the experiences and conceptions of intimacy by Black middle-class gay men. The objectives of the study were to analyse how the Black middle-class position influences intimacy for Black gay men; to consider how intimacy is defined by gay Black middle-class men; to investigate how gay Black middle class men experience intimacy; and to examine how external factors like homophobia and patriarchy affects Black middle class men's experience of intimacy. Through the qualitative approach, data was collected using life history interviews with five Black middle-class gay men living in Johannesburg. In the study, Black middle-class men revealed that the middle-class position allows them the freedom to express intimacy freely within their families. Furthermore, the middle-class position has given the Black gay men the opportunity to mingle in spaces historically deemed as ‘white’. These ‘white’ spaces are usually occupied by people who are open minded, which is different from traditional Black communities which are usually heteronormative spaces. Therefore, the study found that being middle class allowed gay men to express intimacy freely in spaces deemed as historically “white” or non-heteronormative. Since intimacy was viewed as a commodity, the middle-class position allowed these men (Black middle-class gay men) to “purchase intimacy”. Interestingly, Black gay men in the study revealed that homophobia exist within (their) gay relationships, especially when they have to express public affection with their partner.M.A. (Sociology