Being

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.

Intersectionality and Racism

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.

35. Models that change: The study of gay identity development

Since the declassification of homosexuality as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association in 1974, a large number of models of gay identity development have been proposed in the literature. This is unique because for the first time, more attention was paid to the process of developing a gay identity rather than theorizing about the etiologies of homosexuality. This paper reviews the changes in thought found in the literature describing how one comes to develop a gay identity. For the marginalized, identity development is generally described against a backdrop of stigma. Fortunately, our current society is very different from the hostile world that surrounded the APA in 1974: homosexuality is more tolerated and accepted, laws are less discriminatory, and gay role models are more abundant and accessible. As society has evolved, so too have its descriptive models. Shame and reluctance are found in Plumer’s (1975) and Lee’s (1977) models. Pride and activism appear in Hencken and O’Dowd’s (1977) and Cass’ (1979) models. Troiden (1989) mentions the fear of AIDS in his writings. Alderson’s (1998) model reflects a climate where religion, friends, and society can be catalysts in developing a positive identity. Taken together, these models are like time capsules containing clues as to the social conditions of the time. As the rate of social evolution accelerates, it is doubtful that any model regarding marginalized individuals will ever become definitive. For the case of homosexuality, if and when its stigma is removed, then the defining feature of gay identity development is also removed. It is possible that in its place will be a general model of sexual identity development, where homosexual and heterosexual paths diverge innocently and quietly in a society that does not value one over the other. Alderson K. The ecological model of gay male identity. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality 2003; 12(2):75-85. Cass V. Homosexual identity formation: A theoretical model. Journal of Homosexuality 1979; 4(3):219-35. Troiden R. The formation of homosexual identities. Journal of Homosexuality 1989; 17(1/2):43-73.