Religious vs. Secular Communities: Sources of Social Support for Emerging Adult Black Gay and Bisexual Men

This research investigates factors that contribute to emerging adult black gay and bisexual men’s sources of social support. Participants were 20 Black, gay/bisexual men between 18-25 years old (Mage = 22.8, SD = 1.7). Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews and utilized grounded theory to determine intersectionality between participants’ religious upbringing as well as their racial, spiritual, sexual, and HIV identities. Participants who self-identified as bisexual continued to seek social support within churches despite having endured repeated exposure to negative religious rhetoric pertaining to same-sex behavior in religious settings. Participants who self-identified as queer did not seek social support within churches. While a majority of participants who self-identified as gay did not seek social support from churches, gay participants who did seek social support from churches were also HIV positive. A majority of participants indicated having to seek social support from communities that did not encompass all of their identities (racial, sexual, religious/spiritual, HIV) and expressed feelings of not belonging or being fully accepted by those communities as a result. Data from this research indicates a need for further research examining Black men’s sexual and religious identity self-labeling tendencies as well as HIV status as predictors of likelihood to seek social support in religious communities, specifically, black churches. A greater understanding of the factors that contribute to emerging adult, Black, gay/bisexual men’s selection of communities for social support may benefit community organizers in the development of groups that could act as sources of resiliency, especially for individuals who are living with HIV

External vs. Innate: Sources of Resiliency Among Emerging Adults, Black Gay and Bisexual Men

The purpose of this research was to examine the main sources and origins of resiliency that are present among Black gay and bisexual men. Resiliency refers to one’s response to adversity and ability to positively adapt to difficult situations. Twenty participants ranging in age between 18-25 years old (M = 22.8 years, SD = 1.7 years) participated in a semi-structured interview. Participants indicated varying sources of resiliency, which they utilize to encounter hardships. Innate sources (i.e., I was born this way) and external sources (i.e., music, my grandmother’s spirit) were conveyed by participants as mechanisms to overcome adversity. The current findings seek to increase social understanding of the means through which these emerging adults overcome adversity, in effort to decrease social marginalization, stigmatization, and discrimination

α-Tubulin Tyrosination and CLIP-170 Phosphorylation Regulate the Initiation of Dynein-Driven Transport in Neurons

Motor-cargo recruitment to microtubules is often the rate-limiting step of intracellular transport, and defects in this recruitment can cause neurodegenerative disease. Here, we use in vitro reconstitution assays with single-molecule resolution, live-cell transport assays in primary neurons, computational image analysis, and computer simulations to investigate the factors regulating retrograde transport initiation in the distal axon. We find that phosphorylation of the cytoskeletal-organelle linker protein CLIP-170 and post-translational modifications of the microtubule track combine to precisely control the initiation of retrograde transport. Computer simulations of organelle dynamics in the distal axon indicate that while CLIP-170 primarily regulates the time to microtubule encounter, the tyrosination state of the microtubule lattice regulates the likelihood of binding. These mechanisms interact to control transport initiation in the axon in a manner sensitive to the specialized cytoskeletal architecture of the neuron

What it means to be a man: How emerging adult Black gay and bisexual men navigate gender norms

Young Black men learn what it means to be a man from different sources, including family, church, school, and the media. Traditional views on masculinity can be difficult for men to adhere to if they do not identify with current gendered social constructions. The current study examined how Black gay and bisexual men navigate masculine ideologies instilled in them and interpret these expectations as emerging adults. Participants, 20 Black gay and bisexual men (Mage = 22.8, SD = 1.7) took part in a semi-structured qualitative interview examining their experiences with religion, sexuality, gender expectations, and HIV. Using grounded theory, the data revealed that a majority of participants recognized the norms they learned and filtered out the negative aspects of masculine gender roles. Many young Black men can differentiate the negative traits (hiding emotion, acting tough) from the positive traits (being responsible, taking care of family). While these men are able to effectively navigate positive and negative gender norms, the media and societal norms should be mindful of the messages portrayed of manhood

Posttranslational Modifications of Tubulin and the Polarized Transport of Kinesin-1 in Neurons

During the development of neuronal polarity, the Kinesin-1 motor translocates preferentially to the axon. We show that Kinesin-1 selectivity does not depend on differences between axons and dendrites in microtubule stability or tubulin acetylation, but is likely specified by other tubulin posttranslational modifications