Is the closet a closet? Decolonizing the coming out process with Latin@ adolescents and families

ABSTRACT

The coming out process is complex and diverse. Some believe being out is optimal for health, while others suggest that disclosing one’s sexual orientation invites rejection, isolation, and many other dangers. Moreover, this process has been critiqued for being constructed through the experiences of white middle-class gay men. Given these critiques, clinicians must be wary of positioning coming out as a goal of therapy when working with queer adolescents, especially for adolescents of color. This article aims to offer family therapists trans-theoretically informed points of considerations when working with this population as well as to decolonize the coming out process.

KEYWORDS:

• coming out
• family therapy
• Latino
• LGB

Notes

1. Gender is deeply rooted in the Spanish language and culture. It is often difficult to decenter gender from language; however, there has been a movement toward removing gender-specific language and as such, more people are embracing “Latin@”, which is pronounced Latin-ow. (Wallerstein, 2005). We use queer to refer to the multitude of sexual identity and expression.