“If a woman stands at the door you can’t go in” Jovita’s Story, April 1914

Lo que se ve no se pregunta: Exploring nonverbal gay identity disclosure among Mexican American gay men.

“…For example, it would be important for researchers to consider the role of acculturation in how individuals conceptualize their gay identity and subsequently influence their identity development processes. In relation to gender scripts, it is important for researchers to consider whether Latina/x lesbians share a similar nonverbal means of disclosure (e.g., Chavez Leyva, 1998) or whether there is more variance across gender lines in terms of coming out. Additionally, future work could investigate how others know about or can confirm an individual’s sexual orientation through nonverbal or tacit means.…”

“…Specifically, Rosario et al (2004) noted how “to raise the issue of homosexuality may be constructed as a falta de respeto (lack of respect), constituting a breach of normative prescriptions guiding social interactions” (p. 226). Thus, positing verbal disclosure as a falta de respeto can reflect the norm of implicit communication (e.g., Carrillo, 2018; Chavez Leyva, 1998) and indicates the cultural importance of respect in the family system in order to maintain this support, which may then create a need for alternative LGB identity disclosure strategies.…”

“…He further noted that managing one’s gay identity through strategies of sexual silence differs from expectations shaped by dominant Western or U.S.-based notions of coming out, where identity relies more heavily on self-identification and may subsequently impact disclosure strategies. One also see these strategies in interviews with Latina lesbians wherein Chavez Leyva (1998) asserted that gay identity can be seen as a “silent truth” (p. 432), with silence around gay identity disclosure serving as a tool to communicate a sense of acknowledgment, respect, and love among family members. These studies highlight how a silent expression of identity serves to validate a gay identity, as well as to create space for various expressions of acknowledgment of one’s sexual orientation.…”