Lesbi Honest: Barriers to Identifying and Actualizing Sexuality as a "Later in Life Lesbian"

The growth of Queer Sociology has produced a body of research focused on LGBTQ identity formation, while less has been discovered about subsets of this community, including later-life lesbians who were previously partnered in long-term heterosexual relationships with cisgender men. Several theories, including the Cass Theory of Sexual Orientation Identity Formation and Fassinger's Theory, provide a model which LGBTQ people may progress through as they develop their sexual orientation identity. These models provide insight towards the development of a lesbian identification later in life. Through sixteen in-depth interviews with lesbians in the United States who did not identify as lesbian until after age thirty-five, I examine the social barriers that impact these women's identity formation processes, and examine how sexual orientation identity development theories help us understand this process. My findings reveal that heteronormativity, compulsory heterosexuality, lack of representation, gendered expectations, and the pursuit of success all acted as societal barriers that delayed these women in their sexual orientation identity development. Thus, we see that Cass' recognition of the importance of the sociocultural environment is vital. However, the theory's commitment to linearity is still questionable, and her theory may not provide enough flexibility for the fluidity of sexual orientation. Alternatively, Fassinger's theory provides more space for sexual orientation to exist as a process of continuous development.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Sociology

Department dc:contributor.department

Sociology

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Graves, Alayna Louann

Chairs dc:contributor.committeechair

• Ovink, Sarah
• Zare, Bonnie

Committee member dc:contributor.committeemember

• Williams, Heidi M.

• Queer Sociology
• Lesbian
• Identity
• LGBTQ
• Gender Socialization

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:37808

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/115259