Coming Out in the South: The Lesbian Experience of Self, Family, and Community

Research has examined the coming out process, but few investigations have focused on the experiences of women who come out while living in the South, a geographical and ideological culture with a history of overt and covert injustice. Using the cultural distinctiveness framework, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify common themes among women who came out as lesbian while living in the South. This study included nine interviews from women who came out as lesbian while living in these southern states: Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana. In addition to demographic information, research questions addressed the effects of coming out on these women's spiritual, work, and home life. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed using QRS NVivo 8 software. Themes emerged and results showed all but one participant moved out of her home state, feared for her safety, and the safety of her family. Themes included the importance of preserving their spiritual relationship, the magnitude of tradition and culture, protecting an individual's family name and honor, and outgrowing or not belonging anymore to their family of origin. The results provide insight into the challenges that are unique to "coming out" in the South, and ideas regarding how to cultivate empathy, openness, and acceptance of the lesbian women. The emergent social change implications focus on the development, organization, and distribution of resources through counseling programs for southern women and their families thus dissipating fear, prejudice, and marginalization in this distinctive milieu.