Transformative Father-Son Relationships as Coping Mechanisms among Representations of Black Same-Gender-Loving Sons in American Television and Literary Narratives

Black fathers have traditionally served key roles in racial and masculine identity development among their sons. Struggles of racial injustice and hegemonic masculinst customs have impacted the manner in which paternal messages of identity development have been relayed to Black sons. As a result, Black same-gender-loving (SGL) sons often face a high level of distress based on their failure to conform to mainstream masculinities and experiences of racial disenfranchisement. Through examining narratives in mainstream television and popular literature, this study examines the manner in which transformative Black father-son relationships serve as therapeutic coping mechanisms that assist Black SGL sons in overcoming physically and psychologically traumatic experiences to attain self-acceptance.