Relationship identities among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults: An exploratory study.

Abstract

Relationship identities are established through romantic interactions and informed by sociohistorical context. The associations between lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) identities and identities in other domains, including relationship identities, has yet to receive sufficient attention by researchers. In this exploratory study, through a qualitative analysis of life history interviews from the Generations Study, we identified participants who described their identity in terms of a romantic relationship (e.g., partner, husband/wife). In describing their relationship identities, two themes emerged: 1) negotiation of a relationship identity with other identities, such as gender or race/ethnicity, and 2) navigating being visible or invisible within the LGB community and/or at the societal level. Together these themes suggest that relationships may be salient components of personal identity when sexual minority individuals in a couple either individually or jointly feel that they stand out (or that they become invisible).

Expanding Notions of LGBTQ+

“…Hammack characterizes identity as a concept that has meaning far beyond the theoretical complexities of academic literatures and has permeated everyday conversations and the ways we understand ourselves in the world. George Herbert Mead's (1934) symbolic interactionist conceptualization of identity emphasizes the dynamic between a person's social interactions and their internal understanding of the self. In this dynamic, social interactions are the basis of understanding the self as well as the development of-and affiliation with-social categories (Hammack 2015).…”

“…The life course concept of interdependent lives points to the relevance of relationships for marking space and meaning in individuals' lives and offers the possibility for (sexual) identities rooted in understandings of the self that are defined by interdependence with primary relationships. A recent article documented the ways that some sexual minority people named their relationships when describing their identities (e.g., partner, husband, wife) (Mernitz et al 2022). Notably, in describing identities in terms of their relationship, sexual minority people consistently described them in intersectional terms.…”

Underscoring risk and resilience factors in sexual and gender minority relationships from theory to practice.

“…For decades, relational orientation—the extent to which being part of a relationship is integrated into one’s sense of self—has been associated with relationship quality and health for people in relationships (e.g., Aron et al, 1992; Gamarel et al, 2014). Mernitz et al (2022) provide one of the first examinations of the intersection between personal and relational identities across the lifespan. Using qualitative data from a racially and ethnically diverse sample of 191 lesbian, gay, or bisexual identified (LGB) participants recruited in four cities across the U.S., their results illustrate the ways in which LGB people in the United States have navigated the negotiation of relational identities alongside other elements of their personal identity.…”

“…While this work has been valuable, these interventions have not typically been conceived as enhancing couples’ capacity to cope with minority stress specifically. This existing work provides a potential starting point for developing interventions that might improve communication and conflict resolution (Meuwly & Davila, 2022), enhance relationship maintenance behaviors (Haas & Lannutti, 2022), and equip SGM couples with skills to cope together with experiences of sigma and provide support to one another (Mernitz et al, 2022; Scott et al, 2022). The articles in this issue lend urgency to such intervention development work.…”