Why is it hard for African Americans to come out as gay?

The most likely reason for this is because there is a greater stigma attached to being gay in the African American community. Men often times have an even harder time of it than women because to a lot of straight African Americans, being gay means that the male is somehow less than/no longer a "real" man. This is why so many gay men choose to stay in the closet, in fear of others reactions to their orientation. This may also be because of the strong ties many African Americans have with their faith and religion. Their spiritual beliefs tell them that being gay is wrong, immoral, unnatural, etc.. Also a lot of people, not just African Americans, still associate homosexuality/bisexuality, with pedophilia, not realizing that the two are in no way connected. Close ties a lot of African Americans have with their families and the fear of possibly losing contact with the people closest to them because of family members' inability to understand about their sexuality is another cause.