From the Outside Looking in: Black Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men Experiences in Men of Color and Black Male Initiative Mentorship Programs in Higher Education

Men of color (MoC) and Black male initiative (BMI) mentorship programs create a complicated experience for men who identify as gay, bisexual, and queer. The purpose of this phenomenology and arts-based research study unearths the experiences of Black gay, bisexual, and queer men (BGBQM) within these programmatic contexts. This study sought to explore the essence of gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality utilizing interviews, podcast-style focus groups, and individual art projects. Findings unearthed a complex reality, Blackness preferred, queerness deferred, to exist in the intersections of their myriad identities. Consequently, these men experience a Masc-ing Phenomenon that limits how they express their gender and sexuality within MoC and BMI programs. This study offers critical insights for practitioners, educators, and researchers to center queerness and femininity within these programmatic interventions