Title: Examining the Unique Mental Health Challenges of Nonbinary and Gender Expansive Gay Black Men

Abbreviated Abstract: This study examines the unique mental health challenges experienced by nonbinary and gender expansive gay Black men, with particular attention to how intersecting systems of oppression—including anti-Black racism, cisnormativity, heteronormativity, and gender binarism—shape their lived experiences. Despite growing research on LGBTQ+ mental health, the experiences of gender expansive Black men remain significantly underrepresented in counseling and psychological literature. Using a qualitative methodology grounded in Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) paired with autoethnography, this study centers the voices and narratives of participants to generate rich, in-depth understandings of how individuals make meaning of their intersecting identities, mental health experiences, and sources of resilience. IPA, combined with autoethnographic reflection, is particularly appropriate for this inquiry because the researcher serves as a participant-observer, allowing for deeper interpretive engagement with the phenomenon being studied (Hurst, 2023). This methodological approach emphasizes the co-construction of meaning between researcher and participant and is grounded in phenomenological and interpretive traditions that prioritize lived experience (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009). The study is further informed by counseling and counselor education frameworks that emphasize culturally responsive, identity-affirming, and strengths-based perspectives when working with marginalized populations (Hays & Singh, 2019). Findings from this research aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of the mental health needs of nonbinary and gender expansive gay Black men while informing more inclusive clinical practices, strengthening culturally responsive mental health interventions, and supporting ongoing social justice efforts within counselor education and related helping professions. This presentation will be held Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. via Microsoft Teams, with an in-person viewing available in Room 217.