Reflections on the Life Histories of Today's LGBQ Postsecondary Students

Abstract

This qualitative multiple-case study utilized a life history methodology in which written and oral narratives were obtained from six postsecondary students who self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or queer (LGBQ). Through the construction of life histories, the researcher endeavored to understand how past experiences and behaviors shaped the participants’ identity and established their sense of resiliency. The researcher's analysis of the data revealed discrepancies between the participants’ stories and commonly cited sexual-identity development models. In addition, some of the participants expressed resistance to sexual categories or labels and suggested that a shift has occurred in the dynamics between gay and straight males. Correlations to past research and possible implications to sexual-identity development theory, forms of masculinity, and perpetuation of LGBQ art, literature, and history are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Bisexual
• gay
• identity
• lesbian
• life history
• metrosexual
• queer
• resilience