Education Commons^™

Exploring Complexities Of Multiple Identities Of Lesbians In A Black College Environment, Lori Patton Davis, Symone Simmons

Lori Patton Davis

Experiences of first year female Black students who self-identified themselves as lesbian and attended a historically Black university are examined. A reconceptualized Model of Multiple Dimensions of Identity and the Multidimensional Identity Model were used to establish the framework for this study. Overall the study provided a current identity status for participants which included race, gender, and sexual orientation. Results from semi-structured interviews revealed three themes related to how participants made sense of their identity internally and in relation to external expectations and influences.