ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the identity frame deploys and discusses by a group of twenty-eight young Australians to communicate their understanding about their sexual selves to others. It shows how lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer (LGBQ) identity frames continue to be meaningful for this group of young people but with variations in the social significance attributed to these different identity frames. The findings provide a snapshot of participants' perceptions of LGBQ identities, and as such it is difficult to capture the identity transitions experienced between early adolescence and adulthood. For young people from some minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBQ identities may be in conflict with cultural and familial identities and affiliations. Further research is required with same-sex attracted young people who do not associate their lives with LGBQ identities to explore the ways in which they make sense of their sexual selves outside of the familiar frames.
