title: Sexual Stereotypes Ascribed to Black Men Who Have Sex with Men: An Intersectional Analysis.
abstract: Sexual stereotypes may adversely affect the health of Black men who have sex with men (MSM). Greater understanding of the nature and nuances of these stereotypes is needed. This online, survey-based study used an inductive, intersectional approach to characterize the sexual stereotypes ascribed to Black MSM by the U.S. general public, their distinctiveness from those ascribed to Black men and MSM in general, and their relative prototypicality as compared to dominant subgroups. Members of the public, recruited in 2014-2015, were randomly assigned to survey conditions that varied systematically by race (Black, White, or unspecified) and sexual orientation (gay, heterosexual, or unspecified) of a designated social group. Participants (n = 285) reported stereotypes of their assigned group that they perceived to exist in U.S. culture in an open-response format. Cross-condition comparisons revealed that, overall, Black gay male stereotypes were non-prototypical of Black men or gay men. Rather, stereotypes of Black men were more similar to Black heterosexual men and stereotypes of gay men were more similar to White gay men. Nonetheless, 11 of the 15 most frequently reported Black gay male stereotypes overlapped with stereotypes of Black men (e.g., large penis), gay men (e.g., deviant), or both (e.g., promiscuous). Four stereotypes were unique relative to both Black men and gay men: down low, diseased, loud, and dirty. Findings suggest that Black MSM face multiple derogatory sexual stereotypes, several of which are group-specific. These stereotypes are consistent with cultural (mis)representations of Black MSM and suggest a need for more accurate portrayals of existing sexual diversity within this group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, George Washington University, 2125 G Street NW, Washington, DC, 20052, USA. skcalabrese@gwu.edu.|Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. skcalabrese@gwu.edu.|Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. skcalabrese@gwu.edu.
authors.forename: Sarah K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Calabrese
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.|Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
authors.forename: Valerie A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Earnshaw
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Manya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Magnus
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.|Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.affiliation: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.|The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Douglas S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Krakower
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.|Columbia Law School, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Underhill
authors.affiliation: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.|The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.affiliation: Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.|Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Trace S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Kershaw
authors.affiliation: Disparities Solutions Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Betancourt
authors.affiliation: Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.|Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.|Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Dovidio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063505:Racism; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013240:Stereotyping; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Black; Gay; MSM; Sexual orientation; Stereotypes