AFRICAN-AMERICAN FAMILIES IN DIVERSITY - GAY MEN AND LESBIANS AS PARTICIPANTS IN FAMILY NETWORKS

Although recent research on African American families has focused on t he roles of extended family members and fictive kin (i.e., non-biologi cal members), the participation of openly gay-identified men and women within African American family systems has received little attention. The study examines gay men's and lesbians' disclosure of sexual orien tation to immediate and distant kin. Questionnaires assessing disclosu re and demographic backgrounds were completed by African American lesb ians (n=506) and gay men (n=673), recruited nationally. Results indica te that most had disclosed their sexual orientation to immediate famil y (i.e., mothers, fathers and siblings) but fewer to other relatives. There was a clear preference for disclosure to females in the immediat e family. Significant positive predictors of disclosure for both immed iate and more distant family members were being older and reporting in itiating homosexual sexual activity at a younger age. Self-reported HI V infection among men predicted immediate family awareness of the indi vidual's homosexuality, but not awareness by the extended family. Appa rently over time, individuals disclose homosexuality to those within t he close family network. Results are discussed within the context of A frican American family networks.