Increasingly, researchers casually use the concept of coming out. After tracing its conceptual inflation, this article shifts the lens from identity development to reconsider coming out as identity management. I develop the perspective of strategic outness – the contextual and continual management of identity – to emphasize the role of social context in sexual identity disclosure. Using data from open-ended essays, I explore three aspects of strategic outness: strategies, motivational discourses, and social relationships. My participants discuss using multiple strategies to manage who knows about their sexuality, cohesively describe multiple motivations for controlling that information, and emphasize the role of social relationships in their decision-making. Strategic outness reconsiders how coming out is used with sexuality research, providing researchers with an explicit perspective to consider the social context of sexual identity disclosure in their analyses.
AndersonKJackDC (1991) Learning to listen: Interview techniques and analyses. GluckSBPataiDWomen's Words: The Feminist Practice of Oral History. New York: Routledge, 11–25.
2.
ArmstrongE (2002) Forging gay identities: Organizing sexuality in San Francisco, 1950–1994. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
3.
Ben-AriA (1995) The discovery that an offspring is gay. Journal of Homosexuality30(1): 89–112.
4.
BoonSMillerR (1999) Exploring the links between interpersonal trust and the reasons underlying gay and bisexual males’ disclosure of their sexual orientation to their mothers. Journal of Homosexuality37(3): 45–68.
5.
CarrionVGLockJ (1997) The coming out process: Developmental stages for sexual minority youth. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry2(2): 369–377.
6.
CassVC (1979) Homosexuality identity formation. Journal of Homosexuality4(3): 219–235.
7.
CassVC (1984) Homosexual identity formation: Testing a theoretical model. The Journal of Sex Research20(2): 143–167.
8.
CharmazK (2006) Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide through Qualitative Analysis. London: SAGE.
9.
CheluneGRobisonJKommorM (1984) A cognitive interactional model of intimate relationships. DerlegaVCommunication, Intimacy and Close Relationships. Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
10.
CoenenME (1998) Helping families with homosexual children: A model for counseling. Journal of Homosexuality36(2): 73–85.
11.
CohlerB (1994) The human sciences, the life story, and clinical research. ShermanEReidWQualitative Research in Social Work. New York: Columbia University Press, 163–174.
12.
CohlerBHammackP (2007) The psychological world of the gay teenager: Social change, narrative, and normality. Journal of Youth and Adolescence36(1): 47–59.
13.
ColemanE (1982) Developmental stages of the coming-out process. American Behavioral Scientist25(4): 469–482.
14.
CollinsD (2009) ‘We're there and queer’: Homonormative mobility and lived experience among gay expatriates in Manila. Gender & Society23(4): 465–493.
15.
CorbinJMorseJM (2003) The unstructured interactive interview: Issues of reciprocity and risks when dealing with sensitive topics. Qualitative Inquiry9(3): 335–354.
16.
CoxSGalloisC (1996) Gay and lesbian identity development. Journal of Homosexuality30(4): 1–30.
17.
CramerDWRoachAJ (1988) Coming out to mom and dad: A study of gay males and their relationships with their parents. Journal of Homosexuality15(3): 79–91.
18.
D’EmiloJ (1998) Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States, 1940–1970. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
19.
De MontefloresCSchultzSJ (1978) Coming out: Similarities and differences for lesbians and gay men. Journal of Social Issues34(3): 59–72.
20.
DerlegaVGrzelakJ (1979) Appropriateness of self-disclosure. CheluneGSelf-Disclosure: Origins, Patterns, and Implications of Openness in Interpersonal Relationships. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
21.
DevaultML (1990) Talking and listening from women's standpoint: Feminist strategies for interviewing and analysis. Social Problems37(1): 96–116.
22.
EdwardsWJ (1996) A sociological analysis of an in/visible minority group: Male adolescent homosexuals. Youth & Society27(3): 334–355.
23.
EvansNJBroidoEM (1999) Coming out in college residence halls: Negotiation, meaning making, challenges. Journal of College Student Development40(6): 658–668.
24.
FloydFJSteinTS (2002) Sexual orientation identity formation among gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths: Multiple patterns of milestone experiences. Journal of Research on Adolescence12(2): 167–191.
25.
FloydFJSteinTSHarterKSMAllisonA (1999) Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths: Separation-individuation, parental attitudes, identity. Journal of Youth and Adolescence28(6): 719–739.
26.
GloverJGalliherRLamereT (2009) Identity development and exploration among sexual minority adolescents: Examination of a multidimensional model. Journal of Homosexuality56(1): 77–101.
27.
GoffmanE (1986[1963]) Stigma: Notes on the Management of a Spoiled Identity. New York: Simon and Schuster/Touchstone.
28.
GrinyerA (2007) The ethics of internet usage in health and personal narratives research. Social Research Update49(spring): 1–4.
29.
HarryJ (1993) Being out: A general model. Journal of Homosexuality26(1): 25–37.
30.
HollanderG (2000) Questioning youths: Challenges to working with youths forming identities. School Psychology Review29(2): 173–179.
31.
HorowitzJLNewcombMD (2001) A multidimensional approach to homosexual identity. Journal of Homosexuality42(2): 1–19.
32.
JayKYoungA (1992) Out of the Closets: Voices of Gay Liberation. New York: New York University Press.
33.
KahnMJ (1991) Factors affecting the coming out process for lesbians. Journal of Homosexuality21(3): 47–70.
34.
KaufmanJMJohnsonC (2004) Stigmatized individuals and the process of identity. The Sociological Quarterly45(4): 807–833.
35.
LaSalaMC (2000) Lesbians, gay men, and their parents: Family therapy for the coming-out crisis. Family Process39(1): 67–81.
36.
LaSalaMC (2003) When interviewing family: Maximizing the insider advantage in the qualitative study of lesbians and gay men. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services15(12): 15–30.
37.
LaSalaMCJenkinsDAWheelerDP (2008) LGBT faculty, research, and researchers: Risks and rewards. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services20(3): 253–267.
38.
LinkBGPhelanJC (2001) Conceptualizing stigma. Annual Review of Sociology27: 363–385.
39.
MaynardD (2003) Bad News, Good News: Conversational Order in Everyday Talk and Clinical Settings. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
40.
McCallL (2005) The complexity of intersectionality. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. 30(3): 1771–1800.
41.
McDonaldGJ (1982) Individual differences in the coming out process for gay men. Journal of Homosexuality8(1): 47–60.
42.
McleanK (2007) Hiding in the closet? Bisexuals, coming out and the disclosure imperative. Journal of Sociology43(2): 151–166.
43.
MoorheadC (1999) Queering identities: The roles of integrity and belonging in becoming ourselves. Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity4(4): 327–343.
44.
MosherCM (2001) The social implications of sexual identity formation and the coming-out process: A review of the Theoretical and Empirical Literature. The Family Journal9(2): 164–173.
45.
NewmanBSMuzzonigroPG (1993) The effects of traditional family values on the coming out process of gay male adolescents. Adolescence28(109): 213–226.
46.
OswaldRF (2000) Family and friendship relationships after young women come out as bisexual or lesbian. Journal of Homosexuality38(3): 65–83.
47.
PattonMQ (2001) Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
48.
PlummerK (1994) Telling Sexual Stories: Power, Change, and Social Worlds. New York: Routledge.
49.
PonticelliCM (1999) Crafting stories of sexual identity reconstruction. Social Psychology Quarterly62(2): 157–172.
50.
RasmussenML (2004) The problem of coming out. Theory into Practice43(2): 144–150.
51.
RhoadsRA (1995) Learning from the coming-out experiences of college males. Journal of College Student Development36(1): 67–74.
52.
RustPC (1992) The politics of sexual identity: Sexual attraction and behavior among lesbian and bisexual women. Social Problems39(4): 366–386.
53.
RustPC (1993) ‘Coming out’ in the age of social constructionism: Sexual identity formation among lesbian and bisexual women. Gender & Society7(1): 50–77.
54.
SaltzburgS (2004) Learning that an adolescent child is gay or lesbian: The parent experience. Social Work49(1): 109–118.
55.
Savin-WilliamsRC (1989) Coming out to parents and self-esteem among gay and lesbian youths. Journal of Homosexuality18(1): 1–35.
56.
Savin-WilliamsRC (2001) A critique of research on sexual-minority youths. Journal of Adolescence24(1): 5–13.
57.
Savin-WilliamsRC (2003) The disclosure to families of same-sex attractions by lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths. Journal of Research on Adolescence8(1): 49–68.
58.
Savin-WilliamsRC (2006) Who's gay? Does it matter?. Current Directions in Psychological Science15(1): 40–44.
59.
Savin-WilliamsRCDubeEM (1998) Parental reactions to their child's disclosure of a gay/lesbian identity. Family Relations47(1): 7–13.
60.
SeidmanS (2002) Beyond the Closet: The Transformation of Gay and Lesbian Life. New York: Routledge.
61.
ShepardB (2009) Queer Political Performance and Protest. New York: Routledge.
62.
ShiltsR (2009) The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk. London: Atlantic Books.
63.
SiegelKLuneHMeyerIH (1998) Stigma management among gay/bisexual men with HIV/AIDS. Qualitative Sociology21(1): 3–24.
64.
SteinA (1999) Becoming lesbian: Identity work and the performance of sexuality. GrossLWoodsJThe Columbian Reader on Lesbians and Gay Men in Media, Politics, and Society. New York: Columbia University Press, 81–93.
65.
SteinAPlummerK (1994) ‘I can't even think straight’. ‘Queer’ theory and the missing sexual revolution in sociology. Sociological Theory12(2): 178–187.
66.
SullivanMWodarskiJ (2002) Social alienation in gay youth. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment5(1): 1–17.
67.
SuzukiLKBealeIL (2006) Personal web home pages of adolescents with cancer: Self-presentation, information dissemination, and interpersonal connection. Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing23(3): 152–161.
68.
SwidlerA (1986) Culture in action: Symbols and strategies. American Sociological Review51(2): 273–286.
69.
TroidenRR (1989) The formation of homosexual identities. Journal of Homosexuality17(1): 43–73.
70.
Van de MeerendonkDProbstT (2004) Sexual minority identity formation in an adult population. Journal of Homosexuality47(2): 81–90.
71.
VinckeJBoltonR (1994) Social support, depression, and self-acceptance among gay men. Human Relations47(9): 1049–1062.
72.
WacquantL (1997) For an analytic of racial domination. Political Power and Social Theory11: 221–234.
73.
WaldnerLMagraderB (1999) Coming out to parents: Perceptions of family relations, and identity expression as predictors of identity disclosure for gay and lesbian adolescents. Journal of Homosexuality37(2): 83–100.
74.
WeissRS (1995) Learning from Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studies. New York: Free Press.
75.
WilliamsCLGiuffrePADellingerK (2009) The gay-friendly closet. Sexuality Research and Social Policy: Journal of NSRC6(1): 29–45.
76.
WirthS (1978) Coming out close to home: Principles for psychotherapy with families of lesbians and gay men. Catalyst3: 6–21.
77.
WolkomirM (2009) Making heteronormative reconciliations: The story of romantic love, sexuality, and gender in mixed-orientation marriages. Gender & Society23(4): 494–519.
