On Being Black and Out of the Closet: Exploring Moderators of Black Queer Sexual Orientation Disclosure

Engagement and perceived community belonging has vast benefits on the well-being of Black queer adults (i.e., identifying as both Black and a sexual or gender minority). However, little is known about the intersectional experiences of Black queer individuals concerning engagement and belonging in marginalized communities. The present study investigated the association of community engagement and sexual orientation disclosure, alongside the moderating roles of identity salience (racial salience and queer salience) and perceived community belonging (racial belonging and queer belonging), with a national sample of 1026 Black queer adults from the Social Justice Sexuality Project. Regression analyses found community engagement was associated with increased sexual orientation disclosure for Black queer adults who reported average-to-high perceived racial community belonging. Prominent levels of racial community engagement were associated with less sexual orientation disclosure for Black queer adults with varying perceived queer community belonging. These findings highlight the necessity of examining the role of perceived community belonging and identity salience with Black queer adults’ sexual orientation disclosure. Research, policy, and practice implications are further discussed.