Nice to meet you anyway: Examining the impact of sexual identity disclosures on relational outcome values for queer individuals and children in queer families

• In Event: Scholar to Scholar I
  In Paper Session: Families-of-origin, GLBTQ individuals, and same-sex couples: Exploring stability and change

Abstract

As public opinion regarding sexual orientation and identity changes, the implications of disclosing one’s sexual orientation inevitably evolves; this is particularly true for individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Thus, it is imperative that researchers recurrently investigate the impact disclosures of queer status status may have on the development and maintenance of interpersonal relationships.
This manuscript, using Sunnafrank’s (1986) Predicted Outcome Value framework, presents recent survey data on the affect disclosure of sexual orientation during an initial interaction has on projected relational outcomes. Specifically, this study presents outcome value data on individuals across the queer spectrum (i.e., gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) as well as data on the impact sexual orientation disclosures have on predicted outcome values for children in queer families.
The role sexual orientation disclosures play in the communication process is undoubtedly dynamic (Herek, 1988; LaMar & Kite, 1998). Public opinion continually evolves to reflect contemporary socio-cultural value structures. In spite of evidence that queer identity is becoming increasingly acknowledged and, to some degree, tolerated by the general public, this manuscript reveals that disclosures of queer identity continue to have a negative impact on relational outcome values. Implications for these data will be discussed for individuals across the queer spectrum as well as for children of queer families.

Author

• Jessica Moore, North Carolina State University