This qualitative dissertation in Counseling Psychology considers the open secret,
an under-researched phrase describing an interesting phenomenon that is experienced by
some, but not all, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people when their sexual
orientation is known or suspected by family members, friends, and/or coworkers, but not
discussed. A review of the literature notes how the essence of the open secret appears to
be about knowledge that is not acknowledged, while it may also create a space of grace,
allowing people to coexist, where they might not otherwise be able to do so easily.
Participants (N = 11) were either current or past members of the U.S. military
who served before or during the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. Interviews were analyzed
using James Paul Gee’s linguistic approach to narrative, from which three major findings
emerged: (a) sexual and homophobic harassment, whereby historically homophobic
attitudes within the military drive the need for secrecy surrounding LGBT sexuality; (b)
acceptance and support, whereby the open secret seems to create a space of grace; and (c) empowerment and honesty, whereby LGBT people seem to have a new sense of
honesty that empowers them toward a new sense of agency. Discussion includes
examination of how the three findings may relate to the open versus secret parts of the
open secret, as well as how the open secret and the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy may
represent a gestalt attempt at balance that may now be moving toward a gestalt dynamic
of completion, suggesting the possibility of a new Discourse of openness and honesty for
LGBT people that appears to be on a proleptic edge of possibility.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2010-08-8420 |
| Date | 2010 August 1900 |
| Creators | Reichert, Andrew D. |
| Contributors | Brossart, Daniel, Clark, Carolyn |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Dissertation, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
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