Beyond Coming Out: Experiences of Positive Gay Identity

Although homosexuals are more visible and accepted in North American society than ever before, homophobia still takes an alarming toll on gay individuals. Gay male adolescents continue to run away from home, abuse drugs, turn to prostitution and attempt suicide in staggering numbers. And mature gay men with fulfilling jobs and comfortable homes still battle for self-esteem, discouraged again and again by negative attitudes and discriminatory acts. Looking at these statistics and his own experience of coming out as a middle-aged husband and father of two Calgary psychologist Kevin Alderson found himself wondering why some gay men manage to construct overwhelmingly positive self-images while so many others never overcome low self-esteem, or in some cases outright self-hatred. In interviews with sixteen gay men, ages 16 to 61, who have learned to celebrate their homosexuality, Alderson reveals that there are definite patterns in the development of a positive gay identity. His subjects, including a teenager with cerebral palsy, a high-ranking politician, a drag queen, a leatherman, a schoolteacher and an accountant, have very different lifestyles but have all achieved a positive image of themselves as gay men in society, despite their individual hurdles. Setting this book apart from others on the same subject, Dr. Alderson presents these men's stories, from childhood to adulthood, in their own words. These in-depth case studies pave the way for Dr. Alderson's trenchant, insightful analysis of the major themes emerging at each stage of development.