An Outing with Bob and Rose

Abstract

This article describes the use of group therapy process to explore the issues of sexuality relating to an unlikely romance between a self-identified gay man and a self-identified heterosexual woman, as depicted in a six-part television series. The goals for the group process included reviews of the limitations of sexual self-identification, the effects of marginalization of bisexuality on sexual self-identity, the effect of disclosure on personal growth and development, and the impact of violence in the self-identified gay community. The frank discussions enabled the group facilitator to gain insight into the struggle lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons have from a multidimensional framework, as well as the biological and social forces that affect sexual self-expression.

KEYWORDS:

• case review
• group therapy
• gay men
• bisexuality
• sexual orientation
• self-labelling
• media and psychotherapy

Acknowledgements

All of the group participants in this article willingly consented to sharing their experiences and have signed the appropriate release forms. The presence of the participants has been camouflaged sufficient to obscure their identity for purposes of this article. This article received editing assistance from Angus Whyte, MA, and Thomas Grexa Phillips, JD, LLM.