PARENTS’ EXPERIENCES REGARDING THE COMING-OUT PROCESS OF A GAY OR LESBIAN CHILD

Abstract

Coming out of the closet, that is, identifying or labelling oneself publicly as gay or lesbian, isone of the most difficult and potentially traumatic experiences a gay/lesbian person canundertake (Woog, 1997). For many gays/lesbians this process is a journey which starts at thefirst awareness of being different from others. It then follows the route of coming out to oneself– labelling oneself as gay/lesbian – and finally letting others know of one’s sexual orientation.A large amount of the gay/lesbian person’s energy goes into deciding where, when, how and towhom he/she will disclose his/her sexual orientation. They are greatly concerned about thepossible risks and consequences of “coming out” to significant others (Moses, 1986:80).

Keywords

• parents’ experiences
• gay or lesbian child