Identity formation for lesbian, bisexual, and gay persons: beyond a "minoritizing" view.

There is considerable controversy regarding the means by which lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons achieve a sense of sexual identity. In this paper, the concepts of identity and sexual identity are reviewed, and the literature on lesbian and gay "coming out" processes are critiqued. Major limitations of these studies include their narrow samples, their narrow focus on sexuality, their linear nature, and their lack of attention to the larger sociohistorical context. They tend to "minoritize" sexual identities. A more comprehensive cyclical model of identity development would put sexual identity into a context that includes other important facets of identity such as gender, race, and class-a more universalizing approach.