Cultural Investment: Providing Opportunities to Reduce Risky Behavior Among Gay American Indian Males

Abstract

Many gay American Indian (GAI) men feel alienated from their tribal, ceremonial and social communities because of homophobia and heterosexism. As a result, they often turn to their local gay community for social participation and sex opportunities. It is no secret that a significant aspect of some gay communities is socializing in local bars and clubs. The gay bar scene makes healthy living difficult for Native American gay men. This is especially the case for those who are in alcohol or drug recovery. In response, gay Native men's support groups are attempting to make available a cultural alternative to the double bind of alienation from one's Native community and exposure to substance abuse by providing alcohol and substance free opportunities for ceremonial and social involvement. The hope is that the men will go to bars less frequently and instead turn to Native cultural activities in men's groups for social, spiritual and emotional support. The logic of this approach assumes that individuals who are culturally invested in a community will gain a level of self and social acceptance, making them less likely to abuse substances and put themselves at risk for HIV infection. The information presented in this article comes from over six years of ethnographic research among GAI men concerning self and social acceptance, HIV/AIDS and American Indian GLBT identity.

The health, social care and housing needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older people: a review of the literature

“…The variation in experiences of sexual minority status and ways in which ethnicity may interact with this have begun to be examined in research in the UK and elsewhere (Bhugra 1997, SAFRA Project, 2003, Graziano 2004, Gilley & Co‐Cke 2005). However, we could find no research in these areas relating specifically to older people, ethnicity or sexuality or gender identity.…”

The Protective Power of Collective Action for Sexual Minority Women of Color

“…Similarly, literature supports the link between perceived sexist experiences (i.e., gender-specific stressors; Klonoff & Landrine, 1995) and psychological distress with predominately White sexual minority women (Szymanski, 2005; Szymanski & Owens, 2009) and subsamples of racial and ethnic minority women (Landrine, Klonoff, Gibbs, Manning, & Lund, 1995). Finally, the relation between perceived heterosexist experiences (i.e., sexual-orientation-specific stressor; Meyer, 1995) and psychological distress has been supported with samples of predominately White (Meyer, 1995; Szymanski, 2009), Asian American (Szymanski & Sung, 2010), African American (Battle & Lemelle, 2002), Latina/Latino American (Zea, Reisen, & Díaz, 2003), and Native American (Gilley & Co-Cké, 2005) sexual minority women and men.…”

LGB of Color and White Individuals’ Perceptions of Heterosexist Stigma, Internalized Homophobia, and Outness: Comparisons of Levels and Links

“…The greater risk position has been argued to exist for LGB persons who are African American (e.g., Battle & Lemelle, 2002;Greene, 2000;Loiacano, 1989), Asian American (e.g., Chan, 1989), Latina/o American (e.g., Espin, 1993;Zea, Reisen, & Díaz, 2003), and Native American (e.g., Gilley & Co-Cké, 2005). The greater risk perspective suggests that, collectively, LGB people of color are exposed to greater heterosexist stigma, in part, because such stigma is more prevalent in communities of color than in White communities (e.g., Battle & Lemelle, 2002;Chan, 1989;Fullilove & Fullilove, 1999;Lemelle & Battle, 2004;Loiacano, 1989;Pachankis & Goldfried, 2004).…”