Stages of gay identity development
Whether you’re gay, straight, male, female, or anywhere in between, all of us go through some build of identity development where we investigate what it means to really beme. This process is confronting at the best of times… Remember all those haircuts and outfits? Yikes.
But if you’re a member of the LGBTQIA+ society, getting to know and accept yourself can be even more daunting and stressful in a nature that still displays homophobia and transphobia. Coming out as your true LGBTQIA+ identity is also synonymous with being brave and standing up for yourself in the midst of possible ridicule, rejection, and ignorance.
For lesbian, gay, pansexual, trans, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual folk, plus all the many other people with a range of other sexual and gender identities, knowing, embracing, and expressing your identity involves unique challenges and for some this process can last a lifetime. Knowing the steps involved in coming out as your true self can help you to understand how far you’ve come and how to prepare for the stop on your journey to being
This is according to Dr. Eli Coleman, psychologist, sex therapist, prolific penner, and professor at the Medical School of the University of Minnesota. He does not assume that all gays and lesbians go through these stages in order, nor that all complete all five stages.
Some may get locked into one stage and never progress. Even at the individuality integration stage, coming out is a continuing process.
But there are developmental tasks inherent in each stage which demand to be completed some time, in order ultimately to become fully self-actualizing and integrated. Here are the stages.
I. Pre-Coming Out
Some studies hold found that core gender and sex-role identities are formed by age 3, thus sexual object preference is part of gender identity. If that is true, then heterosexuality and homosexuality are determined primarily during late infancy and early childhood, and may be identified at a pre-conscious level, or even a conscious level.
The Stages of Coming Out
You may own just learned that your child is lesbian, gay, bisexual person, or transgender. However, your child has probably been on this journey for months or years. The following stages are one way of understanding their journey.
Stage 1 &#; Self Discovery as Gay, Lesbian, Fluid, or Transgender
Becoming alert of same-sex attraction or a diverse personal gender self often causes sentimental conflict. This may include worry about being non-heterosexual, confusion, anxiety, and denial of feelings. This internal conflict often leads to shots to behave as heterosexual (i.e. “passing”). Sometimes individuals strive to “overcome” their sexuality or gender identity, particularly if they fear entity condemned by their faith. LGBTQ people are usually “in the closet” at this stage, which refers to keeping their identity to themselves. The alike is true for transgender individuals before they begin to disclose to others. However, many search out information online or through reading or friends. This stage may be deeply, privately maintained until the individu
Out of the Closet- The 6-Stage Model of Coming Out
Every queer person’s coming-out story is going to be different from the rest. But it is a process of understanding, accepting, and valuing your sexual orientation and identity. Coming out can be a gradual process or something very sudden.
It involves accepting yourself first, realizing that it’s age to acknowledge what you own likely been feeling for quite some time. At the matching time, it is also a time to explore your persona and share it with others.
The Six Stages of Coming Out
In , clinical psychologist and sex therapist Vivienne Cass developed the Cass Theory—a model that describes the developmental process individuals travel through as they consider while acquiring their homosexual identity. The model includes lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities.
A follow-up article by the University of Wisconsin states that “gender is societally considered much less fluid—having its complicated steps of identity and development.”
Although a model expresses the process of accepting one’s true self, demographics and oth