The need to belong is a deeply felt human trait. For many, the sexual minority com­munity helps provide a feeling of belonging and the affirmation and acceptance that are missing in the larger culture (Russell & Richards, 2003). Social and political involve­ment with other homosexual people is another step in coming out. Homosexual people have […]

Disclosing one’s homosexuality to family can be more difficult than disclosing it to others. Coming out to one’s family is a particularly significant step, as the following account by a 35-year-old man illustrates: Most of my vacation at home went well, but the ending was indeed difficult. Gay people kept cropping up in conversation. My […]

Following acknowledgment and self-acceptance is the decision to be secretive or open. Occasionally, a gay man, lesbian, or bisexual individual will find others abruptly open­ing the closet door for him or her. Outing is the term for the public disclosure of some­one’s secret homosexual orientation by someone else. Otherwise, being homosexual usually requires ongoing decisions […]

Accepting one’s homosexuality is the next important step after realizing it. Self-acceptance is often difficult, because it involves overcoming the internalized negative and homopho­bic societal view of homosexuality. When individuals belong to a socially stigmatized group, self-acceptance becomes a dif­ficult but essential challenge (Ryan & Futterman, 2001). Coming out can be especially problematic for teenagers. […]

The initial step in coming out is usually a person’s realization that she or he feels dif­ferent from the mainstream heterosexual model (Meyer & Schwitzer, 1999). Some people report knowing that they were attracted to the same sex when they were small children. Many realize during adolescence that something is missing in their hetero­sexual involvements […]

We look now at how gay people must deal with the conflict of being gay in a predominantly heterosexual society, and the poten­tially hostile social environment that is posed to them as a result. The decision to be secretive or open about their sexual orientation affects the lives of all gay men and lesbians. The […]

The media have both reflected the changing attitudes toward homosexuality and influ­enced public awareness and attitudes. Making gays more commonly known in the main­stream media provides an opportunity for greater familiarity with and understanding of homosexuality. Since the mid-1960s, daytime talk shows have brought previously unknown visibility to gays, lesbians, and bisexual people. Talk shows’ […]

Many gay-civil rights advocates are currently striving to have the United States join Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Sweden in recognizing the legal right of homosexual people to marry. Why is securing this right important? First, it would end discrimination in marriage and provide equality under govern­mental […]

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force was founded in 1973 to help meet the sec­ond goal of the gay rights movement: ending various kinds of discrimination against homosexuals. Enormous progress has been made in nondiscrimination in employment: Ninety-nine percent of major U. S. companies now have nondiscrimination policies (Movement Advancement Project, 2011). ■ Table […]

The United States had a long history of laws declaring sodomy illegal. Sodomy was legally defined as oral and/or anal sex between adults of any sexual orientation, but these laws were selectively enforced against homosexual individuals and couples. In 2003 the U. S. Supreme Court, basing its decision on the constitutional right to privacy, overturned […]