ENGLISH ABSTRACT: During no other time in history have sexual minority individuals been the recipients of so much
attention, scrutiny and unprecedented acceptance and inclusion into mainstream culture. However,
despite advances and society's ever increasing tolerance toward sexual minorities, many individuals
with alternative sexual orientations remain fearful of disclosing their sexuality. Consequently,
adolescents often hide their alternative sexual orientation from others or disclose to only a select
few. Adolescents with alternative sexual orientations face unique challenges, such as the coming out
process, during which they must recognise, explore, define and disclose their orientation in a way
that heterosexual individuals need not. Disclosure of an alternative sexual orientation is a struggle
for most lesbian, gay and bisexual youth due to fears of discrimination, ostracism and violence from
others. Despite a growing body of scientific literature on homosexuality in general, little is known
about the disclosure process and its impact on an adolescent. This study seeks to help fill the gaps
by giving voice to the adolescent by exploring the experience of disclosure. Furthermore, this study
seeks to provide insight and knowledge to mental health professionals to aid adolescent clients
throughout the disclosure process.
This study's research methodology can be described as qualitative research which is embedded
within an interpretive/constructivist paradigm. Purposive sampling was used to select five male and
five female research participants. The methods of data collection that were employed comprised
semi-structured individual interviews and reflective notes. Furthermore, content analysis was used
to analyse the data.
The findings of this study suggest that many unique issues besides the normative challenges that
lesbian and gay adolescents share with heterosexual adolescents characterise their development.
This research study suggests that there are several milestones that are characteristic of lesbian and
gay identity development, the negotiation of which may hinder development in other areas. The
male and female participants described a similar trajectory to coming out, consistently identifying a
feeling of being different during early childhood which resolved into an awareness of same-sex
attraction that concluded in their self-labelling as gay or lesbian. The findings of this study suggest
that the process of disclosure is continuous and emergent. The reactions of parents ranged from
extreme outrage and expulsion from the home to support and acceptance of the fact that their child
had disclosed his/her homosexual orientation. From the findings of this study it would appear that the participants' parents were initially ill prepared and unable to support their child during his/her
disclosure. The participants voiced various strategies to support an adolescent in the position of
disclosing to family. There are several implications of this study's findings for mental health
professionals working with lesbian, gay and bisexual adolescents and youth.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die aandag, noukeurige betragting, aanvaarding en ongekende insluiting binne die hoofstroom van
die kultuur wat tans deur seksuele minderheidsgroepe ervaar word, is ongekend in die geskiedenis.
Ten spyte van vooruitgang en die toenemende verdraagsaamheid teenoor die seksuele minderheid in
die samelewing, vrees diegene wat 'n alternatiewe seksuele oriëntasie toon steeds om hulself bloot
te stel. Gevolglik hou adolessente dikwels hul alternatiewe seksuele oriëntasie geheim of onthul
hulle dit slegs aan 'n uitgesoekte paar persone. Adolessente met 'n alternatiewe seksuele oriëntasie
kom op 'n wyse wat nie vir heteroseksuele individue nodig is nie, voor unieke uitdagings soos die
openbaarmaking van hul oriëntasie te staan wanneer hulle dit moet erken, verken, definieër en aan
die moet lig bring. Die erkenning van 'n alternatiewe seksuele oriëntasie plaas die meeste lesbiese,
gay en biseksuele jeugdiges voor 'n stryd vanweë die vrees vir diskriminasie, verstoting en geweld
deur andere. Ten spyte van die algemene toenemende hoeveelheid wetenskaplike literatuur oor
homoseksualiteit, is daar weinig kennis van die verklaringsproses en die impak daarvan op 'n
adolessent. Hierdie studie poog om die ervaring van verklaring te ondersoek om die adolessent se
stem te laat hoor en sodoende die kennisgaping te oorbrug. Verder poog die studie ook om insig en
kennis aan professionele persone binne die gebied van die geestesgesondheid te bied, om hulle in
staat te stel om adolessente kliënte met die verklaringsproses by te staan.
Die navorsingsmetodologie wat vir die studie gebruik is, kan as kwalitatiewe navorsing binne 'n
interpretiewe/konstruktiwistiese paradigma beskou word. Doelgerigte toetsing is ingespan om vyf
manlike en vyf vroulike deelnemers vir die navorsingspoging te werf. Data is met behulp van
semigestruktureerde onderhoude en reflektiewe notas ingesamel. Verder is inhoudsanalise gebruik
om die data te ontleed.
Die bevindings van die studie dui daarop dat die ontwikkeling van gay en lesbiese adolessente
benewens die normatiewe uitdagings wat deur hulle sowel as heteroseksuele adolessente
aangespreek moet word, ook deur unieke kwessies gekenmerk word. Hierdie navorsingstudie
suggereer dat verskeie mylpale kenmerkend is van die ontwikkeling van lesbiese en gay identiteit
en dat die bewerkstelliging daarvan ontwikkeling in ander areas kan stuit. Die manlike en vroulike
deelnemers aan die studie het langs soortgelyke bane tot die verklaring van hul oriëntasie gekom en
het die gewaarwording dat hulle tydens hul vroeë jeug reeds 'n gevoel dat hulle anders was
konsekwent geïdentifiseer. Hierdie gevoel het tot 'n bewustheid van die aantrekking van dieselfde geslag ontwikkel en tot self-etikettering as gay of lesbies gelei. Die bevindings van die studie stel
voor dat die verklaringsproses voortdurend en opdoemend van aard is. Die reaksies van ouers
wissel vanaf uiterste verontwaardiging en verdrywing vanuit die tuiste tot ondersteuning en
aanvaarding van die wete dat hul kind sy/haar homoseksuele oriëntasie verklaar het. Die bevindings
laat blyk ook dat die ouers van die deelnemers aanvanklik gebrekkig voorbereid was en nie in staat
was om hul kind tydens die verklaring te ondersteun nie. Die deelnemers het verskeie strategieë
voorgestel vir die ondersteuning van 'n adolessent wat hom/haar op die punt van hierdie verklaring
aan die gesin bevind. Die studie se bevindings het ook verskeie implikasies vir professionele
persone wat binne die gebied van die geestesgesondheid met lesbiese, homoseksuele en biseksuele
adolessente en jeugdiges te doen het.
