ABSTRACT
By most accounts, lesbians and gay men label their sexual orientation during adolescence, although many do not act on their feelings for several years and the achievement of a secure personal identity occurs even later. For most, fear of family reaction and peer rejection are important barriers that complement the personal uncertainties of adolescence. Pervasive anti gay attitudes among teenagers’ peers reflect the many biases and stereo types of the larger society. Accurate information is not readily available for lesbians and gay teenagers. Indeed, few topics in secondary schools’ human sexuality curricula evoke such controversy and antipathy as homo sexuality. The lack of accurate information perpetuates feelings of inade-
quacy and fear, leading most lesbian and gay teens to hide their identity from others. The impact on their personal development during later ado lescence is profound: those who conceal their orientation enact variants of a heterosocial identity, and those who reveal their identity are subject to harassment and abuse. Until these teens live independent lives, they are doubly victimized-by the homophobia of their social worlds and by the myths they have internalized. In this process of oppression, they have been implicitly told that their development is abnormal and their prospects for personal and family fulfillment slight. In this sense, they have been deprived of their own development. They have also been deprived of a sense of community, of linkages to other lesbians and gay men. Without the socialization lesbian and gay networks provide, teens are left on their own to construct a social identity. The life tasks of adolescence-the tran sition from the dependencies of childhood to the autonomies and intima cies of adulthood — can be severely compromised for lesbian and gay youth. Much psychological energy is directed to coping with fears of devi ance; social energies are devoted to vigilance to avoid disclosure or expo sure. Hidden from friends, families, and helping resources, these teens may consciously postpone exploring their personal identity until early adulthood.
