Editor's Note

The association of black sexologists and clinicians continues to prepare for the upcoming Spring Roundtable Series in St. Thomas and for the International Lecture Series in Capetown, South Africa. We have picked up a considerable amount of momentum over the past two years and we wanted to continue to work towards building regional and international linkages to our organization. There are a host of complex issues (e.g., intimate partner violence; unplanned pregnancy; formal relational severance/dissolution; homophobia/heterosexism; transmission of HIV/STIs; colorism; social justice challenges; etc.) facing our community and professionals around the country have come out to our conferences to share and receive feedback about how best to utilize the potential of their work. We are looking forward to learning more about you and how you have professionally influenced persons of African descent as well as those who serve our communities.

This issue of the Journal of Black Sexuality and Relationships opens with the work of Drs. Mucherah and Owino who investigated the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs about homosexuality among Kenyan and students in the United States. The article, "Using Sociocultural Theory to Explain the Perceptions of Homosexuality Among Kenyan and U.S. University Students," the researchers found that Kenyan students held more negative attitudes and beliefs about homosexuality than U.S. students. The authors suggested that their findings lend support to the application of sociocultural theory and how there needs to be additional research about the effects of level of education on attitudes and beliefs about homosexuality.

The next article by Dr. Christiana Awosan and Ms. Ijeoma Opara is a literature review of the socioemotional processes and influences of coupling and maintaining heterosexual Black romantic relationships and how racial stereotypes, gender imbalance, and education are negotiated. They suggest that future studies should consider the emotional processes that happen in Black male-female relationships and the importance of understanding the complexities of maintaining an intimate relationship.

The third article, "Black Women with Multiple Sex Partners: The Role of Sexual Agency," by Drs. Campos, Benoit, and Dunlap uses a Black feminist framework to describe how participants displayed autonomy by actively initiating and withdrawing from sexual relationships with men. The authors also found that some of these women did not use condoms at all or inconsistently across relationships.

The fourth manuscript, "An Integrated Model of Safer Sex Practices among African-American Gay and Bisexual Men," by Dr. Brian Zamboni, suggests that consideration should be given to benefits/barriers to condom use, social norm perceptions, sexual assertiveness, and self-efficacy. While gay socialization did not improve the model statistically, it may influence safer sex behavior conceptually and pragmatically.

The final article in this issue is a critical essay about the role of polyamory in our community. Mr. Christopher Smith's essay, "Open to Love: Polyamory and the Black American," contends that polyamorous relationship structures may be beneficial in Black community building, restoration, and strengthening efforts. He concludes with an interview with a Black American polyamorous woman.

Again, thank you for your support and we are looking forward to learning more about you and your work in St. Thomas and/or Capetown, South Africa.