In from the outer generational differences in coming out and gay identity formation

This paper explores generational differences among gay men in their experience of, and narratives relating the process of, coming out. The interview data for 32 gay men living in Melbourne, Australia, is drawn from the Community, Attachment, Structures and the epidemic (CASE) Study. Narratives of coming out for three generational groups: pre-AIDS, peri-AIDS, and post-AIDS, are examined in terms of the experiences of disclosure to family and friends. A shift from narratives organised around crisis and disjunction to those organised around consolidation is matched by differences in the degree to which peer networks are maintained post-coming out.