Challenging assumptions: Gay identity construction across four racial/ethnic groups in the U.S

This study considered racial/ethnic differences in homosexual identity formation (HIF) among a diverse sample of gay, bisexual, and questioning (GBQ) males (N = 2056; 140 African-, 202 Asian-, 1570 European-, and 144 Latino-Americans) who responded to an Internet survey. Contextual variables demonstrating a significant influence on HIF in previous studies of specific racial/ethnic populations were additionally examined across groups, and included generational status in the U.S., parent religiosity, and traditional family gender role expectations (TFGRE). Finally, race/ethnicity and contextual variables were compared for predictive power. Outcomes included timing and sequence of 10 HIF experiences, rates of sexual orientation disclosure to parents, internalized homophobia levels (IH), primary identity/ies, and ease of sexual orientation disclosure and comfort levels within both ethnic and GBQ communities.;Results indicated numerous significant differences by race/ethnicity. Relative to others, Asian-Americans endorsed later HIF experiences, lower rates of sexual orientation disclosure to parents, increased sequence deviations, and higher IH levels. African- and Latino-Americans reported earliest HIF experiences in 8 of 10 areas, and identical HIF sequences that diverged from the preexisting dominant trajectory. Results pertaining to primary identity/ies and comfort levels within GBQ vs. ethnic communities highlighted shared experiences among ethnic minorities, and unique processes for European-Americans.;Contextual variables also differed significantly by race/ethnicity. Asian- and Latino-Americans were most likely to report backgrounds of two generations or fewer in the U.S. Generational status in turn demonstrated powerful effects on parent religiosity and TFGRE levels. African-Americans evidenced the highest parent religiosity levels regardless of their immigration history, whereas Asian-Americans showed a marked reduction in concert with their increased generational status. In contrast, increased generational status corresponded with sharp drops in TFGRE levels for both of these groups, and lesser declines among European- and Latino-Americans. Analyses comparing the predictive power of race/ethnicity and contextual variables on HIF outcomes revealed inconsistent and moderate effects. Both were equally likely to account for variance across the majority of analyses. The present findings underscore the problematic application of European-American standards to ethnic minority GBQ males, as well as the importance of attending to both race/ethnicity and contextual variables in future cross-cultural studies of HIF.