Nonetheless, as some have argued, intersectionality has often focused on charting identity constellations that pinpoint the impact and merger of race, class, gender, and sexuality on the life chances of individuals and groups. The explanatory power of intersectionality lies in its ability to conceptualize multiple identities simultaneously and to show the ways in which these intersecting identities are tied to legal doctrine, social structures, and inequalities (Cho Reference Cho2013 Collins 2004 Crenshaw Reference Crenshaw1991).

This analytic frame has successfully destabilized assumptive similarities within social categories. Intersectionality has contributed to the on-going scholarly and political deconstruction of dichotomous and essentializing categories of identity and oppression. Last, I discuss the implications of my findings for LGBT politics and the connections between self-interest and political perspectives. Further, the majority of Black participants across disclosure practices viewed marriage equality as primarily benefitting the property interests of White gays and lesbians. Specifically, I argue that the Black LGBT participants’ experience with intersectional discrimination and their levels of sexual and gender identity disclosure account for their personal views on same-sex marriage and Black civil rights.

I examine this topic via 197 interviews with 102 Black participants who identify as LGBT about their views on same-sex marriage as a civil rights issue before and after same-sex marriage was nationally legalized. This study adds to emerging research by showing how social actors rely on intersectional experiences to understand, think about, and frame complex social problems. Disclosure of stigmatized statuses can illuminate how macro level inequalities manifest in individual thought processes. I suggest one mechanism for understanding how to untangle this intersectional dilemma: disclosure practices. As some scholars have noted, however, intersectionality has debunked a sociobiological, single-node paradigm and unintentionally codified a deterministic form of social cognition. Intersectionality has contributed to the ongoing deconstruction of dichotomous and essentializing categories of identity and oppression.

Black gay skype