A Qualitative Exploration of the "Coming Out" Process for Asexual Individuals

"Coming out" is an important process not only for identity formation in sexual minorities, but also for increasing access to romantic partners of similar identities (Vaughan & Waehler, 2010). It is unclear how asexuality and the variations within the asexual community are revealed and communicated in the coming out process. Some asexual individuals may find no practical value in coming out, as they do not seek romantic partnerships, while others pursue romantic relationships that are devoid of sexual activity. 

To date, virtually no psychological research has explored the "coming out" experience for those with an asexual identity. The current research analyzed the "coming out" narratives of 169 self-identified asexual individuals recruited from three online asexual communities using a phenomenological approach. Salient themes were extracted from narratives about the experience of developing an asexual identity. Themes included skepticism from family and friends, lack of acceptance and misunderstanding, non-disclosure of the asexual identity, relief upon discovering the asexual community, and the role of the internet in asexual identity discovery and expression. 

A theoretical model of asexual identity development is proposed based on these findings.

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By:  Robbins NK1, Low KG2, Query AN3.

• 1Psychiatry Department, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
• 2Psychology Department, Bates College, Lane Hall, Room 120, 2 Andrews Road, Lewiston, ME, 04240, USA. klow@bates.edu.
• 3College of Social Work, Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA. 
• Arch Sex Behav. 2016 Apr;45(3):751-60. doi: 10.1007/s10508-015-0561-x. Epub 2015 Sep 3.

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Prodigal Sons Film

Prodigal Sons * Kimberly Reed * AFI Film Fest from Big Sky Film on Vimeo.


Audio story at (A high school quarterback leaves Montana as a promising son and returns years later to reveal a secret; a boy from Sierra):  https://goo.gl/8OYmT7

Via:  http://goo.gl/jfoF9T

Homonegativity and Associated Factors among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Estonia

Men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be at higher risk for negative health outcomes including HIV, STIs, depression, substance use, suicidality, and anxiety. Associative relationships between homonegativity (internal and external) and these outcomes are used to explain the observed disproportionate impact. 

The current study assessed associations between internalized homonegativity and high-risk behaviours, markers of substance use and symptoms of mental illness as well as openness and level of same sex attraction. A 2013 Internet-based survey was conducted among MSM, collecting data on socio-demographics, sexuality, drug and alcohol use, mental health, suicidality, and internalized homonegativity. 

The sample (n = 265) had a median age of 31 years, with 85 % employed at least part-time; at least a college-level education in 43 %; and 87 % lived in an urban setting. Sexual orientation was reported as: gay, 72 %; bisexual 23 %; other 5 %. Almost all men (97 %) reported ever having sex with a man, with more than one-third (36 %) having a steady male partner. 

Statistically significant higher homonegativity scores were detected among men reporting any level of opposite sex attraction compared to men attracted to only men; mostly men (p = 0.001), men and women equally (p = 0.002), and mostly women (p = 0.004), as well as less openness of same sex attraction to family and friends; >50 % family (p = 0.032), no family knowing (p = 0.042), and few friends knowing (p = 0.011). Anxiety risk and increased homonegativity also had a statistically significant increasing relationship. 

The identified associations between homonegativity and opposite sex attraction among MSM warrants further exploration as well as the relationship with increased anxiety risk.

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By:  Parker RD1, Lõhmus L2, Mangine C3, Rüütel K2.

• 1West Virginia University School of Public Health, 1 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA. rdparker@hsc.wvu.edu.
• 2Infectious Diseases and Drug Monitoring Department, National Institute for Health Development, Hiiu 42, 11619, Tallinn, Estonia.
• 3West Virginia University School of Public Health, 1 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA.
• J Community Health. 2016 Jan 4.  

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When Parents Separate and One Parent 'Comes Out' as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual: Sons and Daughters Engage with the Tension that Occurs When Their Family Unit Changes

The experiences of Irish sons and daughters born into heterosexually-organised parental partnerships/unions whose parents have separated and one has come out as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual (LGB) were explored through a grounded theory approach. 

Fifteen adult children (over the age of 18 years), who varied in age when their parents separated and one disclosed as LGB, were interviewed. The primary concern that emerged centred on participants having to adjust to their parents' being separated, as opposed to their parent being LGB. This involved engaging with the tension that arose from the loss of the parental union, which involved changes to the home environment and adapting to new parental partners and family units. 

Heightened reflection on sexual orientation and an increased sensitivity to societal LGB prejudice were specifically associated with a parent coming out as LGB. How parents negotiated disclosing the changes to others, the level of support available to parents, and how capable parents were at maintaining the parent-child relationship had an impact on the tension experienced by sons and daughters. Participants moved from initially avoiding and resisting the family changes that were occurring to gradual consonance with their altered family environments. 

Concluding directions for research and clinical considerations are suggested.

Below:  Sons and daughters engaging with tension that arises (when parents separate and one comes out as LGB): A transition from avoidance to consonance

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By:   Daly SC1, MacNeela P1, Sarma KM1.

• 1School of Psychology, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland. 
• PLoS One. 2015 Dec 28;10(12):e0145491. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145491. eCollection 2015. 

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Ask a Homo: How Can an Openly Gay Man Best Support His Closeted boyfriend?

Via:  http://goo.gl/npjSCs  By:   https://twitter.com/jbryanlowder

Does It Get Better? A Quasi-Cohort Analysis of Sexual Minority Wage Gaps

With few exceptions, it has been found that gay men earn less and lesbians earn more than their heterosexual counterparts. Most of the current literature has used single cross-sectional datasets to test possible sources of these wage differentials. 

This study adds to this literature by presenting a theoretical framework, grounded in gender theory, to explore: (a) whether sexual minority wage gaps have attenuated over the last decade, (b) whether wage gaps vary by age group, and (c) if wage gaps vary with duration in the labor market. 

Using Canadian census and survey data, this study finds:

• no evidence that wage gaps have attenuated for gay men 
• and only small reductions for lesbians and heterosexual women, relative to heterosexual men. 
• Wage gaps are larger for younger gay men than for older gay men, which may suggest a "coming out penalty". 
• The lesbian wage premium, vis-á-vis heterosexual women, does not appear at initial labor market entry; rather it develops with duration in the labour market.

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By: Waite S1.

• 1McGill University, Department of Sociology and Centre on Population Dynamics, Room 712, Leacock Building, 855 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, Quebec H3A 2T7, Canada. Electronic address: sean.waite@mail.mcgill.ca.

  

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