The purpose of this study was to analyze the change in gay/lesbian friendships after
the disclosure of their sexual identity. Six specific areas were examined: (1) what are the
circumstances under which persons find out their close friends are gay/lesbian (hereafter
referred to as the event), (2) do relationships change when close friends find out about the
participants' sexual identity, (3) if the relationship changes, how does it change (hereafter
referred to as the relational outcome), (4) which events are associated with which
relational outcomes, (5) how satisfied are the gays/lesbians with their relational outcomes,
and (6) what are the gays'/lesbians' perceived causes of the relational outcomes.
The results of this study indicated that the majority of the participants disclosed
their sexual identity to their close friends. And they did so in an attempt to be honest, to
avoid hiding who they are, and to be able to talk about their sexual identity freely. Most
of the participants reported being quite satisfied with the relationships which became more
close or stayed the same. Most of the participants reported being somewhat unsatisfied
with the relationships which became more distant or terminated. The way in which the
friends found out about the participants' sexual identity was not related to whether or not
the relationship became more close or more distant. The participants believed their
relationships became more close because they were honest. However, the participants
believed their relationships became more distant because their friends were homophobic.
This research is significant because it may help counselors, therapists, and practitioners coach gay men and lesbians when their relationships deteriorate or are strained. This research may also enable gay men and lesbians to be aware of potential factors which might affect their relationships with their friends after disclosure occurs. In addition, this research may equip gay men and lesbians with information to enable them to make educated decisions on discussing their sexual identity with their friends. Furthermore, the results from this research might provide suggestions to individuals who have gay friends to help them make the coming-out process easier for their gay friends. / Graduation date: 1998
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/33761 |
| Date | 05 June 1997 |
| Creators | Smith, Karen Nimitz |
| Contributors | Chadwick, Scott |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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