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.

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.

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.

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.

“Fewer but not weaker”: Understanding the intersectional identities among Chinese immigrant young gay men in Toronto.

2019 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Te Huang ◽  
Lin Fang
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Chinese Immigrant ◽  
Young Gay Men

Out in Time

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perry N. Halkitis
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Sexual Identity ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Generational Differences ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Sexual Identity Development ◽  
Three Generations ◽  
American Society

The life experiences and sexual identity development of three generations of gay men, the Stonewall, AIDS, and Queer generations, are explored. While there are generational differences in the lived experiences of young gay men shaped by the sociopolitical contexts of the historical epoch in which they emerged into adulthood, and a crisis that has come to define each generation, there also are consistencies across generations and across time in the psychological process of coming out that defines identity formation of gay men, as these individuals transition from a period of sexual identity awareness to sexual identity integration. The life experiences are also shaped by conceptions of hypermasculinity, racism and discrimination, substance use, and adventurous sexuality. Despite the many challenges that have defined the lives of gay men across time and that are informed by the homophobia of American society, the vast majority of the population also has demonstrated resilience and fortitude in achieving both pride and dignity. These ideas are explored through the life narratives of fifteen diverse gay men, across the three generations.

New Arrivals to New York City: Vulnerability to HIV among Urban Migrant Young Gay Men

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (7) ◽  
pp. 2041-2053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Kobrak ◽  
Rafael Ponce ◽  
Robert Zielony
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
York City ◽  
Urban Migrant ◽  
Young Gay Men

Young Gay Men Unmoved By AIDS Threat?

1995 ◽  
Vol 95 (5) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
&NA; &NA;
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Young Gay Men

Young Gay Men and HIV Risk

2012 ◽  
pp. 157-172
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Hiv Risk ◽  
Young Gay Men

Telling

Out in Time ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 67-90
Author(s):  
Perry N. Halkitis
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Life Stories ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Critical Life Events ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
The Impact

Gay men experience the process of coming out to various groups of individuals, in myriad contexts, and throughout the course of their lives. For many gay men, telling one’s parents and families represents the most significant act of disclosure. Methods used for coming out to parents, circumstances by which the men came out, and reactions of their families in both the short and long term are explored. A variety of different approaches are evidenced in the life stories. The impact of these critical life events is considered in relation to the well-being and health of each of the men. Coming out to parents and family is challenging in every generation, but the circumstances related to coming out are influenced and shaped by both the sociopolitical contexts of the time and the crisis of each generation.

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