Back to search

Virginia Tech

Coming Out: One Family's Story

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This case study elicits the process of coming out of a 6 member family-of-choice of an adult gay man in rural New Hampshire. 27.5 hours of face-to-face interviews were conducted with the family individually and collectively. Reflexivity, as a technique, was used extensively. Four themes were identified: Embracing gay identity, integrating as a family, building social networks, and social awakening. This study addresses the complexities of how multiple individuals negotiate rules and accommodate diverse viewpoints within a family system, provides insight into a family's journey of accepting their gay identity, utilizes personal narratives of family members, and reveals how the reflexive process contributes to a family's creation of new stories. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph. D.
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Human Development
Department dc:contributor.department
Human Development
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2002

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Baptist, Joyce Alexandria
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Allen, Katherine R.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Uttech, Melanie R.
  • Roberto, Karen A.
  • Prouty, Anne M.
  • Piercy, Fred P.

Subjects

dc:subject × 3

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-09272002-184653
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/29115

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Baptist, Joyce Alexandria. Coming Out: One Family's Story. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/29115