Becoming Homosexual: A Model of Gay Identity Acquisition

1979/11/01 by Richard R. Troiden · 5 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy #Marriage and Sexual Relationships #Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology

paper · doi:10.1080/00332747.1979.11024039

crossref issued 1979/11/01 · crossref published 1979/11/01 · crossref published-print 1979/11/01 · openalex publication_date 1979/11/01 · crossref published-online 2016/10/18 · crossref created 2016/10/18 · crossref deposited 2017/06/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/08/04 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

How do male homosexuals who choose homosexuality as a way of life recall having acquired their gay identities? This question provided the impetus for the descriptive study presented here. Rather than concerning itself with the etiology of homosexuality, this report-- a synthesis of and elaboration on recent investigations of homosexual and/or gay identity--concerns itself with documenting the ways in which a man learns that he is homosexual, how he realizes or decides that he is gay, and how he integrates this affectional and sexual preference into his identity or self-conception.

Citations

• Coming out in the Gay World
• Homosexual Identity: Commitment, Adjustment, and Significant Others

Cited by

• The Story of a Salt Lake City Gay-Straight Alliance: Identity Work and LGBT Youth
• Jewish Gay Men's Accounts of Negotiating Cultural, Religious, and Sexual Identity
• Race, ethnicity, gender, and generational factors associated with the coming‐out process among gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals
• The Significance of Parenting and Parent–Child Relationships for Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents
• Labeling theory [wikipedia]