Communication Privacy Management Among Adult Children With Lesbian and Gay Parents

Abstract

As the landscape of the “traditional” family continues to change in America, LGBT families have become more visible. Researchers have explored the coming out process from the parents’ point of view. The children of lesbian/gay parents, however, have had less voice in the LGBT literature. In this study we use Communication Privacy Management to investigate how children of lesbian/gay parents conceptualize the ownership of lesbian/gay identity within their family (i.e., whether or not their parents’ sexual identity is also their own) and how they develop rules for revealing/concealing this private information.

Keywords:

• Adult Children
• Communication Privacy Management
• Family Identity
• Lesbian And Gay Parents

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Diana Breshears

Diana Breshears is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Sociology at the University of the Free State.

Rebecca DiVerniero

Rebecca DiVerniero is an Assistant Professor in the Communication Department at Dixie State University.