Otherness

Out in Time ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 91-106
Author(s):  
Perry N. Halkitis
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Gay Identity ◽  
Adult Lives ◽  
Young Gay Men

Otherness is an experience that greatly affects the lives of all gay men. Feelings of otherness are fueled by the heteronormative structures ranging from families to society at large, and through the macro- and microaggressions that gay men experience in numerous contexts. Otherness experienced by many gay men throughout the course of their lives exacerbates loneliness and social isolation, which has been endemic in the gay population throughout the generations. The power of otherness also acts as a deterrent for some gay men in disclosing their identities. While advances in society and depiction of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals in media may have impact in “normalizing gay identity, the experience of otherness continues to be incredibly powerful, first taking roots for gay men when they are young boys, creating emotional distress in childhood that perpetuates into adult lives even after coming out. Some young gay men turn to intergenerational love as means establishing feelings of normalcy as gay men and combatting otherness.

Singing Your Way out of the Closet: Young Gay Men in the Operatic World

Young ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 387-403
Author(s):  
Liora Gvion
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Capital ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Safe Zone ◽  
Cultural Setting ◽  
Ethnographic Approach ◽  
Current Article ◽  
Professional Achievement ◽  
Young Gay Men

Little has been written about the reasons gay men choose opera as a venue for professional achievement and social acceptance. Espousing an ethnographic approach, the current article sets out to question their motives. Applying Bourdieu’s concepts of field, cultural capital and habitus, I suggest looking at the opera as a cultural setting, which provides young gay men with a venue for coming out of the closet and, should they be talented and meticulous, achieving professional and social positions. In constituting a safe zone for expressing closeted emotions, engagement in operatic activities enables the development and application of gay capital, as well as cultural capital, such that gayness is interpreted as an invaluable resource, granting them professional and social acceptance.

Being

Out in Time ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 51-66
Author(s):  
Perry N. Halkitis
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Life Stories ◽  
Psychological Process ◽  
Gay Identity ◽  
Life Narratives ◽  
Extant Literature ◽  
Gay Identity Development ◽  
Gay Identities

The development of gay identity is explored across the three generations of gay men. Commonalities of the psychological process and behaviors in relation to identity realization and disclosure are examined through the life narratives and in relation to the extant literature. These life narratives are contextualized through Eli Coleman’s paradigm of gay identity development across all the stages ranging from initial periods of pre–coming out, when many gay men begin to experience their sexuality, to the point in which sexuality becomes integrated into one’s whole identity. The challenges of each stage are explored across the cohort of men as illuminated through the life stories, and in relation to social and political circumstances that shaped the historical epochs in which the were developing their gay identities.

Identities

Out in Time ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 11-32
Author(s):  
Perry N. Halkitis
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Multiple Identities ◽  
Political Context ◽  
Turn Of The Century ◽  
Gay Identity ◽  
Life Narratives ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
The Social ◽  
Behavioral Conditions

Gay men hold multiple identities, which define who they are and which shape their experiences of coming out. The chapter introduces the fifteen men of varying ages, races, ethnicities, and places of birth, whose life narratives provide the means for exploring the coming out process within and across generations and of the social, emotional, and behavioral conditions that have defined the lives of gay men. Five gay men who emerged into adolescence in the late 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s constitute the Stonewall Generation; those who came of age in the late 1970s through the early 1990s are defined as members of the AIDS Generation; and those emerging into adulthood after the turn of the century belong to the Queer Generation. Each of the fifteen men is introduced in relation to his earliest memories of what would prove to be his gay identity and in the social-political context of the time.

Coming Out to Families in a Multicultural Context

2000 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph R. Merighi ◽  
Marty D. Grimes
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Identity ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Self Disclosure ◽  
Gay Males ◽  
Vietnamese American ◽  
Multicultural Context ◽  
Young Gay Men

This article examines how young gay men disclose their sexual identity to family members and how their family members respond to this disclosure. Qualitative data were collected from a nonrandom sample of 57 African-, European-, Mexican-, and Vietnamese-American gay males, ages 18 to 24. Findings revealed similarities across racial and ethnic groups in how these young gay men came out to family members and the responses they received after their initial self-disclosure. Implications for practice are discussed.

Conclusion

Out in Time ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 165-168
Author(s):  
Perry N. Halkitis
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
The United States ◽  
Gay Identity ◽  
Psychological Processes ◽  
Life Circumstances ◽  
American Society

The lives of gay men in the United States across time and generations are shaped by numerous burdens predicated on the challenge of coming out, a condition that permeates their lifetimes. After first realizing that they are gay, most spend much of their lives seeking the full integration of their gay identity with other aspects of their lives. These conditions create psychosocial burdens in the lives of gay men, which often engender risk and diminish health. Despite these life circumstances, which are rooted in the homophobia of American society, many gay men embody enormous grit and resilience, and their lives are indicative of both pride and dignity. While these psychological processes associated with coming out are somewhat consistent across the Stonewall, AIDS, and Queer generations, the advance in the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people have resulted in lives somewhat less burdened.

Intersectionality and Racism

Out in Time ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 129-146
Author(s):  
Perry N. Halkitis
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Generational Differences ◽  
Gay Identity ◽  
Male Population ◽  
Gay Identity Development ◽  
Men Of Color ◽  
Rich Diversity ◽  
Race Ethnicity

The gay male population in the United States is not monolithic. Besides generational differences, there is a great and rich diversity along the lines of race, ethnicity, culture, and class. To understand the lives of gay men we must consider the multiple intersectional identities that gay men hold that define and shape their lives, their health, and their coming out. Gay men of color, including black and Latino gay men as well as first-generation men, often experience even greater challenges in terms of gay identity development than white men, created in part by lower levels of acceptance and understanding within ethnic and racial minority communities including immigrant populations. Gay men of color also experience racism within society at large and also from other gay men who stereotype and objectify men of color. As is the case with conceptions of masculinity, members of the Queer Generation espouse clearer understandings and appreciation of the intersection of gay identity with matters of race, ethnicity, class, and culture.

Coming out ‘softly’

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Pak
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Identity ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Gay Identity ◽  
Ethnographic Interviews ◽  
The Social ◽  
Familial Obligations

Given the social stigmatisation and legal disadvantages faced by gay men in Singapore, there is a general hesitance to be open about one’s gay identity for fear of discrimination and possible prosecution. The logic of illiberal pragmatism is taken up by the Singaporean government as a mode of governance that simultaneously constrains and frees its citizens, which forces its gay citizens to straddle the expression of their sexual identity and a sense of duty to their families. This same tension is found in gay men’s reflections on the coming out process. In ethnographic interviews conducted with 15 Singaporean gay men, concerns arise about the perceived strength and directness of coming out alongside the need to satisfy familial obligations. In response to these concerns, gay Singaporeans have adopted a ‘soft’ approach to coming out that aligns with national illiberal pragmatism. Di Singapura, ada ramai yang rasa curiga untuk menyebarluaskan identiti gay mereka kerana takut dikejam dan didakwa. Ini diakibatkan penindasan dalam masyarakat dan kekurangan perlindungan dari segi hukum yang dihadapi oleh golongan gay. Pemerintah Singapura menggunakan logik pragmatisme yang tidak liberal (‘illiberal pragmatism’) sebagai alat pemerintahan yang saling mengekang dan membebas warganya. Penggunaan logik ini memaksa warga negara gaynya untuk memilih antara menyebarluaskan orientasi seksual mereka atau memenuhi kewajiban keluarga. Pilihan sukar ini sering dibentangkan oleh lelaki-lelaki gay dalam renungan mereka tentang proses melela (‘coming out’). Dalam wawancara etnografi dengan 15 lelaki gay Singapura, kebimbangan mengenai keberkesanan proses melela dan tekanan memenuhi tanggungjawab keluarga kerap timbul. Sebagai pembalasan terhadap kebingungan tersebut, warga negara gay Singapura melela menggunakan cetak biru yang ‘lembut’ dan selaras dengan logik pragmatisme Singapura.

Generational Crises

Out in Time ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 33-50
Author(s):  
Perry N. Halkitis
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Generational Differences ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Century ◽  
Gay Identity ◽  
Early Twenty ◽  
Late Twentieth

There are many commonalities in the coming out experiences of gay men both within and across the generations despite greater tolerance and acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the United States that has developed in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. While there is this bond that ties the men across the Stonewall, AIDS, and Queer generations, there are generational differences in coming out shaped by a crisis that defined and defines much of the lives of the men within each of these cohorts. The crises of identity, the crisis of AIDS, and the crisis of failure are explored as the defining element of each generation, respectively, with recognition that these crises are cumulative across time. Despite their connections as gay men and commonality in life experiences shaped by gay identity discourse, there are also intergenerational challenges and conflicts that emerge between the age groups.

Interpretive Poetry and the Family Coming Out Crisis

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 851-861
Author(s):  
Silvio Machado
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Gay Identity ◽  
Poetic Inquiry ◽  
Empathic Understanding ◽  
Parental Reactions ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
The Family

This article utilizes interpretive poetry to explore the lived experience of the family coming–out crisis from the perspective of seven self-identified gay men who faced negative parental reactions to their disclosure of gay identity. The interpretive poems, each of which explores a theme from participants’ narratives, were written by the author in response to poetic transcriptions derived from analysis of semistructured interviews. In the spirit of poetic inquiry, the interpretive poems are meant to be evocative, so as to elicit embodied, empathic understanding in the reader. Following the interpretive poems, the author reflects on the use of interpretive poetry as a framework in which to understand the poems and their intent.

It Gets Better Videos for Suicide Prevention in LGBTIQ+ Adolescents

Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Kirchner ◽  
Benedikt Till ◽  
Martin Plöderl ◽  
Thomas Niederkrotenthaler
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
German Language ◽  
Professional Help ◽  
Characteristics Method ◽  
Sexual Orientations ◽  
It Gets Better Project

Abstract. Background: The It Gets Better project aims to help prevent suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) adolescents. It features personal video narratives portraying how life gets better when struggling with adversities. Research on the contents of messages is scarce. Aims: We aimed to explore the content of videos in the Austrian It Gets Better project regarding the representation of various LGBTIQ+ groups and selected content characteristics. Method: A content analysis of all German-language videos was conducted ( N = 192). Messages related to coming out, stressors experienced, suicidal ideation/behavior, and on how things get better were coded. Results: Representation was strong for gay men ( n = 45; 41.7%). Coming out to others was mainly positively framed ( n = 31; 46.3%) and seen as a tool to make things better ( n = 27; 37.5%). Social support ( n = 42; 62.7%) and self-acceptance ( n = 37; 55.2%) were prevalent topics. Common stressors included a conservative setting ( n = 18, 26.9%), and fear of outing ( n = 17; 25.4%). Suicidality ( n = 9; 4.7%) and options to get professional help ( n = 7; 8.2%) were rarely addressed. Limitations: Only aspects explicitly brought up in the videos were codeable. Conclusion: Videos do not fully represent gender identities and sexual orientations. Messaging on suicidality and professional help require strengthening to tailor them better for suicide prevention.

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