Introduction
Gender relations and sexual engagements constitute a critically momentous social subject among almost all societies in the world. Christians and numerous other groups treat heterosexism as the only humane way of relating intimately. The belief informs unfathomable sexual constructs, leading to pressures among emergent gender groups, often being referred to as inappropriate.
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals all fall under unacceptable sexual groups. Individuals under these classifications often face dehumanizing branding and other injustices that make their lives difficult. The fellows frequently survive by adopting endurance tactics, which further alienates and exposes them to greater dangers.
The present work focuses on America’s gay black men as one of the sexually alienated special groups facing peculiar health challenges. The discussion is a literature review covering the various factors contributing to high depression rates among the population. Accordingly, hate, negative branding, lack of social support, cyberbullying, poverty, dependence on drugs, and numerous other factors increase depression rates among gay black men in America.
Sexual Objectification and Intragroup Discrimination
Sexual relations are essential requirements for all human beings, especially for males, regardless of whatever carnal orientation one exhibits. Accordingly, the general lack of acceptance towards gays in many international societies pushes members of this special group into secretive engagements. According to Wade and Harper (2020), the emergence of online dating sites somehow promises gays in the US and elsewhere significant autonomy from the judgmental world.
Members of gay dating sites have some freedom since they believe that people on the platforms have identical sexual beliefs and desires (Wade & Harper, 2020). However, the reality facing many black gay men using online dating platforms in the US is not pleasing (Wade & Harper, 2020). Thus, the group continuously receives hurtful treatment from other gays on the sites.
Explicit rejection and getting sexually objectified are examples of the inhumane encounters that minority gays receive on the sites. As per Wade and Harper (2020), gay’ hookups involve several things, including economic stability, with many whites having this aspect. Therefore, black gays frequently target financially stable suiters on the platforms, mostly the whites, only to be hurt, thus leading to psychological issues (Wade & Harper, 2020).
Wade and Harper (2020) note that online dating sites’ harassment of black gays mainly comes from their white counterparts. Ignorance, sexualization, and open communication that one is looking for a white mate are significantly hurting aspects of the minority group (Wade & Harper, 2020). Thus, black gays using online dating sites in the US face inhumane treatment from peers, which affects them psychologically.
Reduced access to care among black American gays, relative to their white counterparts, leads to severe psychological problems among black gays in the U.S. Wade and Harper (2020) say that American black gays mostly lack stable jobs, while others lack documentation. The aspects imply inadequate health coverage for the lot, meaning that individuals developing mental challenges due to unfair treatment in social platforms have to bear with the conditions without meaningful aid. On the other hand, most white individuals, both male and female, in America possess legal citizenship documents and enjoy significant economic advantages. The facets grant the white gays substantial autonomy and command over the other groups.
Having money among gays means being able to choose who to date or interact with (Wade & Harper, 2020). The freedom further implies psychological stability and increased self-esteem. Unfortunately, these beneficial elements are rare among black gays in the US, making them stigmatized groups without the ability to enjoy good psychological health. Consequently, struggling with affection, belonging, and financial stability makes life substantially hard for minorities, leading them to escalated depression rates among gay groups.
Marginalization and Limited Access to Healthcare
Uneven HIV infection among black gays further affects their psychological stability, notably. Mosley et al. (2021) say that suffering from a terminal illness comes with self-hatred. The pain increases when one learns that he is HIV positive because of something that the community loathes. Other than accessing health care services, people who have AIDS require love and care from peers and family members. Black gays live a disconnected life because of the fear of being branded. That way, black gays with HIV, particularly those in the latter stages of the disease, suffer a lot, psychologically and physically (Mosley et al., 2021).
Poverty makes a significant portion of the impoverished black gays unable to afford medical care, meaning that they cannot have access to the necessary care for a modest living. This aspect leads the infected minority groups to engage in menial jobs that require them to work daily. However, a reduction in body ability with time makes the group weary, causing psychological pain that leads to depression. Therefore, having HIV and lacking a stable cash flow directly contribute to stressful lives among American black gays.
Homophobia
Homophobia is the general fear among homosexuals regarding the exposure of their behavior to the public. Boone et al. (2016) note that many gays in the US lead a secretive life to avoid public cursing and branding. The aspect leads to phobia and generally forces black gays to suffer without seeking aid (Boone et al., 2016). The feeling that one is a ‘sinner’ makes many black gays self-haters with low self-esteem (Boone et al., 2016). The combination of these two facets further elicits inner hurt related to depression.
Gays go through rigorous stages to identify a person they relate to sexually for interactions (Boone et al., 2016). The fact that the lot experiences such pain daily, thus becoming an integral part of their life, underscores the depressing nature of their existence. Open friendships help people manage life stresses by venting their hurt issues to peers who can offer help or advice. However, a black gay man interacting with a fellow black gay man facing similar pain and fear in life cannot calm the other. All the two parties can do is devise survival tactics that involve suppressing feelings and accepting a guilty life, leading to perpetual depression.
Internalized Stigma
Rejection by heterogeneous community members and white homosexuals makes black gays particularly prone to distress. As previously noted, humans are social beings who generally derive satisfaction from others’ approval (Wade & Harper, 2020). Almost all interactions follow specific social tenets, notably culture and personal values. Being gay means having intimate relationships with fellow men, which the African American culture despises. Therefore, the group cannot access social solace from their race, exposing them to depression (Wade & Harper, 2020).
Wade and Harper (2020) describe the individuals’ increasing mistreatment by Caucasian gays, who openly express interest in fellow whites. Thus, being an African American gay person is similar to experiencing hatred from almost all the other social groups that are necessary for a holistic social life. The outcome of such a condition is often the decision to live alone, where many individuals who reach this point have developed hurtful personalities and emotions that require immediate treatment (Wade & Harper, 2020). Accordingly, black gays choosing to live alone while battling terminal illnesses exhibit unmatched depression levels incomparable to those of other social groups in the country.
Relationship Insecurity and Safety Concerns
Black gays lack safety at the interpersonal level, leading to escalated stress intensities. Graham et al. (2009) argue that victimization among black gay lovers is higher than among heterosexual partners. Fights and mistreatments amongst colored gay lovers further exceed those in white LGBTQs (Graham et al., 2009). Poverty, insecurity, and the inability to sustain lovers’ requirements cause this difference.
Mosley et al. (2021) say that most gay couples in the US aspire to realize socioeconomic stability, with the party serving the feminine roles expecting the masculine one to provide. However, the generally high impoverishment levels among black gay partners make financial satisfaction impossible. The outcome of this is the rampant establishment of multiple relationships with several gay partners.
Unlike the heterogeneous lovers, Mosley et al. (2021) report that injuries often occur during misunderstandings among black gay suitors, leading to a lack of safety and depression. Additionally, some communities openly attack LGBTQ people, causing insecurity among the group. The fact that African American ethnic communities do not accept black gays as a legitimate group further exposes individuals involved in the men’s relationships to attacks, thus denying them safety and peace of mind.
HIV Stigma, Illness Burden, and Psychological Well-Being
Black gay men involved in bisexual engagements face stress due to their association with HIV infection. Dealing with both men and women sexually makes many people view bisexual black men as sick agents. The aspect leads to branding and name-calling that cause depression.
A gay person requires attachment and a sense of belonging to feel complete, like other people. However, these two essential elements hardly exist in the group due to the HIV association. The facet slowly converts black gays into inhumane fellows living with pain (English et al., 2020).
English et al. (2020) articulate that this challenge is not specific to black American gays but remains highly prevalent among the group. White gays’ general financial stability makes them dear to both bisexual males and females, where the group is less judged due to the money subject. Nevertheless, black gays’ lack of this influential parameter makes them the primary recipients of blame, with their frequent multiple partners being a reliable cause of concern regarding the blame. Therefore, racial differences within the LGBTQ fraternity affect black gays adversely, thus exposing them to depression.
Youth Vulnerability
Family Detachment
Young black gays suffer mental issues due to the lack of parental attachment and family friendship. Boone et al.’s (2016) study concerning young black boys involved in LGBTQ relations shows them as distraught individuals. The open mismatch between family norms and the young boys’ beliefs causes crises that lead to psychological imbalance.
According to Boone et al. (2016), underage black boys involved in gayism feel like they do not belong to their families. The scholars describe the individuals’ correction and reprimand by concerned parents and siblings as a significant cause of inner hurt. The issue arises from the erroneous thought that parents questioning their sexual orientation do so because they do not love them.
Accordingly, the attitude disrupts the natural connection that young boys should have with their parents and siblings, which is essential for a psychologically balanced life. Cutting engagements with guardians and relatives then exposes young black gays to other, more pressing external factors, which increase the level of stress. The boys are usually young, naĂŻve, vulnerable, and dependent, making them highly prone to victimization and depression.
Transition to Adulthood
Difficulties experienced by young black gays when transitioning from adolescence to adulthood equally lead to depression among the population. Many young fellows manage to hide their sexual identity at least until their teenage years. However, the need to relate intimately during the young adult stage makes it hard for black gays to keep things under control. Young black gays struggle with identifying possible friends since many gays conceal their identity (Cook et al., 2016).
Furthermore, naivety and vulnerability lead young black gays to messy dealings involving transactional engagements, where people acquire pleasure through unhallowed carnal practices (Boone et al., 2016). Consequently, the group gets hurt through unfulfilling sexual relations, where racism defines the person one can date. The encounters slowly become unbearable at home and within the dating circles, making the fellows highly distressed. Usually, the boys miss that haven and the lovely protection once provided by their parents whenever the outside world becomes unbearable. However, protection is never possible because of the broken relationship between the young adult black gays and their unapproving families, leaving the group in deep psychological torment that causes depression.
Challenges related to sexual orientation disclosures among young black gays in the US lead the boys into substantial mental distress. Not all young black gays in the country dare to inform their parents about their sexual orientation. The outright condemnation of the LGBTQ endeavor among displeased parents generally makes gay children fear disclosing their queer emotions (Boone et al., 2016). The matter affects mostly children belonging to spiritual families following canonical values that oppose homosexuality (Hussen et al., 2022). That way, black gays from these families survive by struggling to maintain their sexual emotions.
However, knowing that they live against their families’ principles leads to emotional acting, with the young gays feeling unpleasant to their often caring parents. The inner fight concerning whether or not to confess being gay thus causes deep emotional torture to the young fellows. The desire to confess and realize freedom counteracts the wish to appear obedient and continue receiving parental support. Other young black gays even fear causing pain and disgrace among their parents despite desiring to come out clearly about their LGBTQ alignment, all leading to depression.
Interpersonal Violence and Psychological Pressure
Black gays experience violence from multiple sources, which affects them psychologically. As a young person, some parents resort to using force and punishments to force their LGB children to conform to societal norms (Graham et al., 2009). The aspect at a time causes injuries to the targeted persons, both physical and emotional, leading to depression. Moreover, black gay men who get into relationships with fellow men experience violence firsthand through mistreatment by their insecure lovers. Those seeking consolation through gay online dating sites equally get mistreated psychologically through the inhumane treatment of blacks on the platforms.
According to Wade and Harper (2020), black gays using dating sites suffer psychologically after getting ignored by suiters. The matter leads to immeasurable harm among the minority gays, who frequently resort to isolating themselves. Boone et al. (2016) further note that black gays who have sexual relations with women suffer emotionally when referred to as vectors of HIV/AIDS. The group receives mistreatment and abandonment after becoming ill, leading to depression. Violence is real in gay relationships as insecure partners use force to control their partners.
Coping Through Substance Use
Black gays who find life to be difficult turn to substance use and dependence to suppress emotions. Friedman et al. (2019) purport that many teenage black gays fall out with parents and guardians and turn to alcoholism and other irresponsible drug-related life. Taking the drugs without eating due to socioeconomic disproportion triggers psychological issues that lead to depression and other related complications.
Friedman et al. (2019) observe that some injectable drugs used by black gays lead to delusions and hallucinations, making the party mentally ill and dependent. The lack of sexual minority community support targeting black gays further worsens the group’s situation. As noted earlier, medical coverage among black LGBTQs remains significantly low (Mosley et al., 2021). Equally, Wilson et al. (2016) articulate that most black gays suffer immensely due to terminal illness and lack of intimate care. Consequently, drug abuse among the minority male group leads to unfathomable mental distress that causes depression.
Unemployment and Aging-Related Isolation
Lastly, the high unemployment rate and old age exhibit a causal relationship to depression among gay black men in America. The former factor makes the population socioeconomically weak and exposes them to further mistreatment by wealthy, white gay individuals (Hussen et al., 2022). Moreover, many American organizations despise employing LGBTQ members, meaning that black gays with publicly known LGB orientation generally lead an unemployed life. Thus, lacking a job amounts to being moneyless and dependent among gays, leading to increased depression rates.
As per Hussen et al. (2022), black gays lacking jobs and stable incomes face increased issues in their intimate relationships as they often get used by peers and get left.
An older minority gay man experiences long years of mental distress that make him more hurt than a young man. David and Knight (2008) report that being elderly and a black gay man implies living an isolated, sickening life often characterized by depression. Therefore, the lack of children and a supportive family, coupled with the many years of social branding, makes life significantly hard for the group, with depression manifesting frequently.
Conclusion
Sexual relations are a requirement for the male being, whether one is gay or not. Accordingly, American black gays’ lack of genuine society-backed love makes them psychologically unwell. Moreover, the group exhibits uneven HIV infections and homophobia that generally make them fear interacting normally with other people.
Black gay men in the US face significant psychological stress due to rejection from both the broader community and white homosexuals. Lack of interpersonal safety contributes to heightened stress levels. African American gay men engaging in bisexual behavior experience additional stress linked to associations with HIV transmission.
Young black gay men often struggle with mental health issues stemming from weak parental bonds and limited family support, while the transition from adolescence to adulthood can trigger depression. Disclosing sexual orientation presents further mental challenges, and exposure to violence from multiple sources negatively impacts psychological well-being. Some black gay men cope with these pressures through substance use. Additionally, high unemployment and aging disproportionately increase depression among this population.
References
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