Renaissance: Cozy in My Skin as Gay Black Males at an All-Male HBCU

In previous studies, Black gay males have shared their lived experiences at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), but the voices of outwardly presently gay Black males remain void in the literature and how they navigate such institutions. Despite their community and relationship-based environment, the foundational tenets of HBCUs derive from conservative values. This study investigates how gay Black males navigate at an all-male HBCU where institutional actors portray characteristics of toxic Black masculinity, conservatism, and tradition. Through a qualitative research design, I used Quare theory to express how four gay Black males at one urban all-male HBCU navigate through challenges and how their Quare identity has guided their journey. Through qualitative interviews, it was found that gay Black males feel accepted by their chosen community but discontent in their environment, prefer to be free in their expression as individuals and use resistance and agency to aid their Quare experience at their all-male HBCU. This silenced community can have a better experience through the implications of a student development curriculum, curriculum expansion, policy adjustments, and instituting bystander intervention training toward a supportive community of all men at the institution. The negligence of gay Black males has occurred for centuries since the existence of the all-male HBCU. As a leading, premier HBCU, students are drawn to the tradition of excellence of the institution at the cost of being othered and experiencing discrimination and homophobia. This study aids practitioners and the community at an all-male HBCU to better understand the lived experiences of their gay students to highlight the need for change in their campus community. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]