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Race And Politics Of Respectability Essay

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Race, Politics of Respectability, and LGBT Individuals
Just as respectability politics and discourses shape the lives of racial minorities in the United States in different, but similar ways, the same occurs to LGBT people of color. Limited, but insightful studies have shown that black lesbians and gays often downplay their sexuality in black racial settings out of respect and to show that they, too, are invested in promoting racial solidarity more than anything else (Hunter 2010; Hawekeswood; Crichlow). In fact, while racial passing is denigrated, sexual passing of LGBT black individuals is largely encouraged (Collins 2005). In addition, some black same-sex couples may perceive marriage or public commitment ceremonies as a chance to show their adherence to the black middle class politics of respectability while making their sexual identity more visible in the largely homophobic black racial community (Moore 2011).
Similarly, Latino/Hispanic LGBT individuals also employ strict adherence to politics of respectability via religion and family as a way to make their sexual identity visible and more accepting to their co-ethnics. Some Latino/Hispanic LGBT people downplay or hide their sexuality from family and co-ethnics (Cantu 2000), while others actively subvert and use Latino/Hispanic familism in their advantage by adhering to hegemonic gendered norms …show more content…

However, LGBT Asians and their family members often struggle with the pressure coming from the larger co-ethnic communities, as having an LGBT-identifying family member leads to the entire family “losing their faces” (Li & Orleans 2001; Hom

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