Homosexual Identity Formation in a Heternormative World

In America, we live in a society where an expectation exists that a child will be attracted to members of the opposite sex until otherwise specified. This heteronormativity is guided by many collective representations and stigmas that devalue lesbian and gay identities. The social constructs of heteronormativity and devaluation makes the process of homosexual identity formation very difficult for adolescents to progress through. Interactions that reinforce positivity about being gay or lesbian and overcome its stigmatization are crucial for an adolescent to fully accept and form this part of him or herself. My experiences as an adolescent struggling to form a lesbian identity, combined with three other oral histories of the lesbian or gay identity formation process help to illustrate and evaluate the formation process, and the impact of heteronormativity each step of the way