Journal Articles.

Forbes, TehQuin D. and Lawrence Stacey (equal authorship). Forthcoming. “Personal Preferences, Discursive Strategies, and the Maintenance of Inequality on Gay Dating Apps.” Archives of Sexual Behavior.

Scholars have noted how online dating technologies are one important arena in which racism, classism, heteronormativity, and other systems of domination are reproduced. This often materializes via a “personal preference” discourse—a framing of desire as unique, individual, and untethered from systems of domination. Yet underexplored is how such a discourse, which fosters prejudice in preferences, is framed as socially acceptable. This paper draws on a content analysis of 858 unique profile screenshots and in-depth interview data of 26 users of Grindr, Scruff, and Jack’d to examine how users voice their “personal preferences.” The content analysis results indicated that 24 percent of profiles listed a preference, and that most were framed in “positive” or polite ways (e.g., “I’m into…”). Analysis of interview data demonstrated that respondents engaged in what we call blatant exclusion and positive reframing in their interactions with other users to voice their “personal preferences.” Users who did not state preferences still allowed their preferences to infuse their experiences on the app. We document how users negotiated racist, classist, and heteronormative preferences and, to an extent, how these users are understanding others’ preferences. This study has implications for understanding the logic behind “personal preference” discourse and why it remains socially acceptable even as other systems of domination do not.

Stacey, Lawrence and TehQuin D. Forbes (equal authorship). Forthcoming. “Feeling Like a Fetish: Racialized Feelings, Fetishization, and the Contours of Sexual Racism on Gay Dating Apps.” The Journal of Sex Research.

Whom we date and are intimate with is structured by race and racism. Recent research has focused on “personal preference” discourse and sexual stereotyping to highlight how and why race and racism affect online and offline interactions. Yet relatively less work focuses on racial fetishization – race-based fixation on a bodily part or characteristic that involves both idolization and demonization of racial difference. Drawing on recent theorizing around racialized feelings, we investigated how racial fetishization materializes and makes men of color feel. We used two sources of data: 858 unique profile screenshots and 26 in-depth interviews with users of Grindr, Scruff, and Jack’d – three popular dating apps for sexual minority men. We found that while instances of racial fetishization were rare in public profiles, a majority of men of color discussed its prevalence. As a result of racial fetishization, men of color described feeling: (1) objectified; (2) that it hindered the formation of platonic or intimate connections; and (3) boxed in and minimized to a stereotype. Our results suggest that racial fetishization induces particular racialized feelings in men of color, and we suggest ways that these racialized feelings might be connected to the reproduction of racial and sexual inequality.

Forbes, TehQuin D. 2022. “Queer-Free Majors?: LGBTQ+ College Students’ Accounts of Chilly and Warm Academic Disciplines.” Journal of LGBT Youth 19 (3), 330-349.

Once enrolled in college, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) students may have to navigate heterosexism within higher education. In doing so, they might deem some fields of study as more accepting of queer discussions and queer people than others. This article uses in-depth interview data from 20 queer college students to describe the process by which respondents constructed some majors or disciplines, especially STEM fields, as queer-free and others, especially the social sciences, as queer-friendly. The discussion highlights how the academic tracking of queer students into queer-friendly fields reproduces inequalities both on campus and beyond, such as in later careers. Several policy suggestions for educators and administrators geared at reducing the “chilly” environment for queer students are noted in the conclusion.

Sumerau, J. E., TehQuin D. Forbes, Eric Anthony Grollman, and Lain A. B. Mathers. 2021. “Constructing Allyship and the Persistence of Inequality.” Social Problems 68 (2), 358-373.
We examine how people construct what it means to be an ally to marginalized groups. Based on 70 in-depth interviews with college students who identify as allies to one or more marginalized groups, we analyze how they construct allyship in ways that ultimately reproduce patterns of social inequality by (1) assigning responsibility for inequalities to minorities, and (2) suggesting individualized, rather than structural, remedies for combatting unequal systems. We find that the combination of these strategies allows them to claim identities as allies without having to engage in concrete efforts that could challenge systems of oppression. We argue that systematically examining processes through which people construct and perform what it means to be an ally may provide insights into mechanisms whereby inequality is maintained and justified. Such systematic examination may also point to potential avenues for combating social inequalities.

Forbes, TehQuin D. and Koji Ueno. 2020. “Post-gay, Political, and Pieced Together: Queer Expectations of Straight Allies.” Sociological Perspectives 63 (1), 159-176.
Past research has examined straight allyship to the queer community from allies’ perspectives, but little is known about how queer people evaluate straight allies. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 20 LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) students from a large, public university in the southeastern United States, we show that respondents formulate their expectations by leaning on their understanding of their own queerness in relation to other privileged and marginalized identities they possess. We find two opposing camps of thought: one that allies should be attuned to the individual needs of queer people in their personal lives, and the other that they should be actively dedicated to supporting the broader queer community. Some respondents expressed sentiments of both camps, showcasing how expectations range with diverse identity constellations. We conclude with discussions of how diverse expectations complicate allyship as a vehicle for social change, and the implications of these results for allies’ roles in queer rights movements.

Book Reviews.

 The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges are Failing Disadvantaged Students by Anthony Abraham Jack. 2019. Sociological Inquiry 89(3): 559-561.

Coming Out to the Streets: LGBTQ Youth Experiencing Homelessness by Brandon Andrew Robinson. Forthcoming. Sexualities.