Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

DOI

10.3390/bs16020292

Publication Title

Behavioral Sciences

Volume

16

Issue

2

Pages

292

Abstract

Identity-based communities that share common characteristics, beliefs, and experiences (e.g., Black LGBTQ+ communities) have historically been conceptualized as protective bubbles that buffer Black LGBTQ+ individuals against the deleterious effects of systemic racism and cisheterosexism. However, this monolithic narrative often masks the internal power dynamics that divide belonging. This study explores the exclusionary dynamics embedded within these safe spaces, examining how internal hierarchies of skin tone, socioeconomic status, and gender performance function as proximal stressors. Guided by a critical constructivist paradigm, this study utilized Reflexive Thematic Analysis to analyze open-ended survey responses from 74 Black LGBTQ+ adults. Data were drawn from a larger mixed-methods study and analyzed using a six-phase recursive process to identify latent patterns of intragroup gatekeeping. The analysis revealed that the sanctuary of the community is restricted. Three primary themes emerged: (1) Phenotypic Capital and the Politics of Authenticity, where lighter skin tone triggered authenticity scrutiny and darker skin tone faced rejection based on physical appearance; (2) Socioeconomic Gatekeeping, where belonging was stratified by the cost of participation and protective insularity within working-class spaces; and (3) Policing the Binary, where rigid adherence to gender archetypes created a landscape of performance surveillance. Access to community resilience is not a universal right but a negotiated status contingent upon the payment of a resilience tax. To promote genuine health equity, researchers and practitioners working with this population must move beyond the uncritical referral to “community” and actively dismantle the internalized systems of oppression that fracture collective survival.

Rights

© 2026 by the authors.

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License.

Data Availability

Article states: "The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy and ethical restrictions."

Original Publication Citation

Watts, K. J., Thrasher, S. S., Campbell, N., Conner, L. R., Glover, J. K., Otachi, J. K., & Griffin, D. (2026). "Oh, you've come to visit the yard?": Phenotypic capital, intragroup marginalization, and the gated sanctuary in Black LGBTQ+ communities. Behavioral Sciences, 16(2), Article 292. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16020292

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