ABSTRACT
An increasing body of work focusing on lesbians and gay men of color now exists in the literature (e.g., Greene, 1994, 1997; Morales, 1990; Rodriguez, 1998). One primary theme in this research is the process of identity formation-the intersection of race or ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. Models of identity stages, states, and developmental tasks have been described for African American gay men (Jones & Hill, 1996; Loiacano, 1989), Asian American gay men and lesbians (Chan, 1997; Liu & Chan, 1996), Latina lesbians (Alquijay, 1997; Espín, 1997), gay Latino men (Morales, 1996; Rodriguez, 1996), and Native American “two-spirit” persons (Tafoya, 1996). The “pull” is a common theme whereby a person feels that he or she must choose between one aspect of identity over others, resulting in significant levels of confusion, anxiety, and depression. Another primary theme in the literature suggests that lesbians and gay men of color need to find validation in multiple communities (e.g., ethnic or racial and gay or lesbian) and to psychologically integrate all aspects of their identities.
