Latinx Gay Fathers' Pathways to Parenthood, Social Stigma, Helpfulness of Social Relationships and Comfort Being Out: A Life Course Perspective

Abstract

Historical events change the socio-cultural and political contexts that Latinx gay men live in, shaping generational differences in external support, comfort being out, experiences of stigma, and the impacts of and response to minority stress over time. The stigma Latinx gay fathers face is informed by racial and xenophobic prejudice they encounter as Latinx individuals and negative attitudes towards their parenting abilities as gay men. To better understand the lives of Latinx gay fathers, we employed a life course perspective to explore their pathways to parenthood, experiences and avoidance of stigma, helpfulness of social relationships, and their comfort being out. Eighty-six Latinx gay fathers (M_age = 46.03 years, SD = 10.50, range = 21–74) from 47 US states participated. Most identified as white, Hispanic (88.4%), while others identified as Black/African American and Hispanic (8.1%), Multiracial (2.3%), or Hispanic, non-white (1.2%). The average income level was approximately US $75,000–$80,000. Over half of participants' first and second children were genetically related to them. Participants reported low frequencies of sexuality-based stigma and even lower levels of stigma avoidance, as well as relatively high levels of comfort being publicly out and helpfulness of social relationships. Generational differences between Latinx gay fathers in the AIDS-1 (born 1950–1969) and AIDS-2 generations (born 1970–1980s) were salient, signifying the importance of historical context in understanding this population.