Outside the LGBTQ “Safety Zone”: Lesbian and Bisexual Women Negotiate Sexual Identity across Multiple Ecological Contexts

Belmonte, Kimberly; Holmes, Tabitha R.

doi:10.1080/15299716.2016.1152932

Cited by 19 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…There are also, however, several gaps in the extant literature, which should be addressed in future research. Except for a few studies (e.g., Belmonte & Holmes, ), little attention has been paid to parental acceptance of young people belonging to other nonheterosexual identities, such as asexuality, gray ace, bisexuality, and pansexuality. Most scholars have either exclusively studied lesbian and gay people (e.g., Carastathis et al, ; Elizur & Mintzer, , ) or have examined bisexual individuals under the umbrella of LGB, while focusing mostly on lesbian and gay people (e.g., Bebes et al, ; Chrisler, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Carastathis et al () noted that familial hostilities can include verbal or physical abuse, disownment, estrangement, and condemnation. Belmonte and Holmes () suggested that although parents and children might be able to find a common ground even when the parents blatantly reject their child's sexuality, it might prove impossible for them to “be themselves” when spending time together.…”

Section: The Degrees and Various Forms Of Acceptance And Rejectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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After coming out: Parental acceptance of young lesbian and gay people

Ghosh

2019

Sociology Compass

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This study examines extant scholarly knowledge on parental acceptance of young lesbian and gay people in traditional heteronormative families. Recent literature shows that parents generally accept their lesbian and gay children. However, parents do not always accept them immediately after they come out. Acceptance takes time, and transitioning to acceptance is often a complex process that depends on parents' access to the necessary resources for coping with the stresses of knowing that their child identifies as lesbian or gay. These resources include counseling or therapy, supportive friends and extended family, and a network of other parents with lesbian and gay children. This study also highlights the need for further research on parental acceptance in nontraditional families and of children with other nonheterosexual identities, such as asexuality, gray ace, bisexuality, or pansexuality. It also calls for an exploration of the complexities of parental acceptance as an ongoing process rather than as a singular event.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Degrees and Various Forms Of Acceptance And Rejectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

After coming out: Parental acceptance of young lesbian and gay people

Ghosh

2019

Sociology Compass

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“…Other research has eliminated bisexual people from the analysis altogether or combined bisexual participants with lesbian women and gay men ( Helms and Waters, 2016 ). Only a small number of recent studies have utilized separate measures of sexual orientation, considering LB women separately ( Rosario et al, 2001 , 2009 ; Costa et al, 2013 ; Belmonte and Holmes, 2016 ). Indeed, recent evidence has demonstrated that the CO process of bisexual people should be examined further, with greater attention paid to gender differences ( Costa et al, 2013 ; Persson and Pfaus, 2015 ; Wandrey et al, 2015 ; Pistella et al, 2016 ; Mathers, 2019 ; Newcomb et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These studies have suggested that bisexual women are less likely to come out than lesbian women (Rosario et al, 2001;Koh and Ross, 2006). In general, bisexual women have more negative feelings about their sexual orientation and are less disclosed than lesbian women, and their family members have more negative feelings and reactions to their CO (Balsam and Mohr, 2007;Scherrer et al, 2015;Belmonte and Holmes, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coming Out to Parents in Lesbian and Bisexual Women: The Role of Internalized Sexual Stigma and Positive LB Identity

2020

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The experience of “coming out” (CO) to parents is often a crucial event in the lives of lesbian and bisexual (LB) women, associated with lower internalized sexual stigma (ISS) and higher positive LB identity. Few studies have compared the experiences of LB women in the CO process. Rather, most prior research has either: (1) not addressed bisexuality or eliminated bisexual individuals from the analysis; (2) combined bisexual women and bisexual men in the same sexual orientation group; or (3) examined bisexual participants alongside lesbian women and gay men, using a single monolithic measure. Thus, the present research aimed at investigating the role of ISS and positive LB identity in inhibiting or encouraging CO to parents in a sample of 241 lesbian women (Mage = 27.61, SD = 7.19) and 186 bisexual women (Mage = 25.23, SD = 5.81), aged 18–40 years. Most participants reported that they had already revealed their sexual orientation to their mother (69%) and their father (52%). More lesbian women had CO to both their mother and their father than had bisexual women. These lesbian women reported lower levels of ISS and higher levels of LB positive identity relative to bisexual women. On average, CO to mothers occurred at age 20 (SD = 5.54), while CO to fathers occurred at age 22 (SD = 5.63). LB women did not differ in the average age of CO to mothers or fathers, or in parental reactions to CO. Finally, ISS was found to affect the process of CO to both parents via positive identity (bootstrapping estimate = −0.26, SE = 0.08, 95% CI = −0.43, 0.11), whereas sexual orientation was not found to moderate the path from ISS to CO to both parents. The present study contributes to our understanding of the differences between LB women when developing their sexual orientation, highlighting the relevance of a positive LB identity for CO to parents. Research and clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

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“…This allowed an analysis of the factors that both prevent/delay and support the adoption of a bisexual identity. In their mixed-method (qualitative/quantitative) study, Belmonte and Holmes (2016) describe the way lesbian and bisexual women negotiate sexual identity across multiple contexts, finding group differences in the contexts in which they feel most positive/negative about their sexual identity. Bisexual women were more likely to feel negative with family members and sexual minority peers.…”

Section: From the Editormentioning

confidence: 99%

From the Editor

Galupo

2016

Journal of Bisexuality

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Outside the LGBTQ “Safety Zone”: Lesbian and Bisexual Women Negotiate Sexual Identity across Multiple Ecological Contexts

Cited by 19 publications

References 85 publications

After coming out: Parental acceptance of young lesbian and gay people

After coming out: Parental acceptance of young lesbian and gay people

Coming Out to Parents in Lesbian and Bisexual Women: The Role of Internalized Sexual Stigma and Positive LB Identity

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