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

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

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


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Hegna, K. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?