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Sexualities
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Coming Out, Coming Into What? Identification and Risks in the 'Coming Out' Story of a Norwegian Late Adolescent Gay Man

Kristinn Hegna

Norwegian Social Research, Norway, kristinn.hegna{at}nova.no

The main aim of this article is to describe the identification process of a 19-year-old Norwegian gay man. The analysis focuses on becoming a gay subject to discourse, articulation of identities and risks related to such subjectivation. Four discourses of gay identities are identified: a possibly heteronormative homosexual identity related to anal sex with men; an essentialist gay identity based on an idea of a stable homosexual core; a constructivist gay subjectivity related to a gay lifestyle where being happy and beautiful are central demands; and a self-understanding echoing a `queer' rejection of identity labels. These identities may be related to certain types of psychosocial risks for gay young people: risk of sexual abuse; pressure to come out of the closet; anti-gay harassment; illegal drug use or problems related to mental health and social support.

Key Words: doing gay • homosexuality • identity • Norway • young people

Sexualities, Vol. 10, No. 5, 582-602 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1363460707083170
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