ABSTRACT
After much consideration and hours (well, okay, maybe more like many long minutes) of blank staring at the computer screen, I decided to open this chapter
with the opening excerpt from Reuben, an openly gay Black male undergraduate who participated in my national study of gay men of color. Reuben, like so many other participants, spoke eloquently and at length about the achievements and challenges of gay men of color in college. Their words refl ect their search for community, recognition, acceptance, and even visibility, all core elements of sense of belonging, as set forth in this book. They reveal through their tone and language the angst that students experience when the fundamental need to belong is unfulfi lled, the meaning they make of such uncertainties and longings, and how they strive to fashion healthy senses of self amidst unwelcoming environments and frequently contradictory values and perspectives, while journeying to establish a sense of belonging in “places” where they feel accepted, valued, and understood. In this way, Reuben and the other guys represent exemplars among historically silenced voices. Before detailing the realities of the experiences they shared, I review the extant literature on gay men of color in higher education and society.
