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Smith College

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Brothers and sisters

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Coming Out : Sexual Orientation Disclosure To Siblings, Rachel M. Gottesman Dec 2012

Coming Out : Sexual Orientation Disclosure To Siblings, Rachel M. Gottesman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explores LGBTQ individuals' experiences navigating sexual orientation disclosure to their sibling(s). The purpose of the study was to examine the role siblings play in sexual orientation disclosure, how and why LGBTQ identified individuals 'come out' to their sibling(s), and provide a glimpse into their experiences of this disclosure. Eleven individuals, ages 25–32 who identified as Lesbian, Gay, Bi–sexual, Transgender or Queer were interviewed via open–ended, semi–structured interviews. LGBTQ participants were asked to speak about their sibling(s) relationship prior to and following their sexual orientation disclosure and the trajectory of their sexual orientation awareness through the process of …