Racial and Sexual Identity Development in LGBT Literature

Race, gender and sexuality have complex intersections; race decides how gender, sexual orientation and other aspects of identification are experienced, developed and practiced. Identity can be understood as a fragmentary sense of self that undergoes constant change. In Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties and The Rain God, the main characters forge plural identities by becoming aware of their ethnic and cultural heritages while discovering personally relevant sexual orientation labels, then reaching out and connecting to that specific community in some way. Instead of identifying a ‘true’ lesbian, Chicano or African-American identity, this paper will explore a process of self-definition that is multifaceted and challenges a monolithic form of identity, creating a hybrid sense of self with the possibility to access different spheres that provides the characters in these texts with new perspectives. Audre Lorde, Miguel Chico and Leticia Marisol Estrella Torez exist in a space that is in-between two worlds, but by integrating elements of their cultures and adapting them to their individual present circumstances, they are able to disrupt rigid sexual and racial categories and enable the formation of polymorphous identities which are subject to constant change.

Racial identity is developed early in life, and serves as a lens for interpreting, understanding, and participating in the world as well as a way of connecting and identifying with others. Racial and ethnic minority men and women who identify or express sexuality outside of the heterosexual model must confront the norms and expectations of both the majority and minority cultures in which they live. In Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, Audre L...

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...tyle that alludes to the multitude of constantly changing and sometimes even contradictory elements in each characters journey to racially and sexually define themselves. Audre, Miguel and Leticia hold multiple racial and sexual identities in a fluid constant that change depending on their location and social context. Instead of serving as a bridge for their families, these characters break free of their place of origin and connect the multiple elements that inform their realities in order to adapt them to their present. Race and sexuality are inextricably linked. To believe in one true sexual or racial identity allows for a feeling of safety, as the aim is then find a definable, core sense of self; however, these three texts illustrate that a singular form of identity is insufficient at defining the complexity of human racial and sexual experiences.