“Coming Out To Yourself”: Reflections On Early-Years Sexual Identity Formation Among Different Generations of Bulgarian Non-Heterosexual Males

Abstract

During the past few years the so-called “anti-gender campaigns” in Bulgaria have revitalized the polemics surrounding the development of non-heterosexual identities claiming that these identities are “imported” by “Western” politics and discourses in order to “weaken” and transform national cultural and political models. Analyzing 63 semi-structured in-depth interviews with non-heterosexual males from different generations, this study aims to contribute to the theories of non-heterosexual identity development by providing data from Bulgarian context. The data from this study suggests that: (1) non-heterosexual male identities in Bulgaria have existed before the “global gay culture”; (2) the younger the participants the earlier they realize their non-heterosexual desires often within the “pre-sexuality stage” defined by the stage models and the youngest cohort self-label their same-sex attraction mainly through an “identity-centred” sequence, before engaging in sexual activities; (3) the greater awareness of role models, the wider access to information, and the involvement in the LGBTQI + communities have contributed to a more positive and self-respectful identity development; (4) physical contacts and observations as significant sources for the questioning of a non-heterosexual identity have been replaced by virtual observations and communication; (5) the Internet and social media have made non-heterosexual identity development more accessible regardless of social and economic background, and that (6) non-heterosexual identity development does not lead automatically to a culturally defined gay identity.

Kept in the Closet: Structural Stigma and the Timing of Sexual Minority Developmental Milestones Across 28 European Countries

“…(2) the closet is a reality in much of the world, including across Europe (Darakchi, 2023;Marhánková, 2021;Siraj, 2011;Torres & Rodrigues, 2022); (3) a majority of the adult population around the world remains in the closet for much of life (Pachankis & Bränström, 2019); and (4) the closet is associated with characteristic psychological adaptations (e.g., Pachankis & Hatzenbuehler, 2013). The current study builds upon this research by testing the hypothesis that the closet and its associated developmental milestones are shaped by the broader structural contexts in which LGB people live.…”

“…Self-awareness and disclosure milestones frequently (Hall et al, 2021) and increasingly occur in adolescence (Darakchi, 2023;Russell & Fish, 2016), though little research has addressed how a broader structural context of stigma might impact adolescent sexual identity development. Institutionalization of anti-sexual minority cultural norms into structural stigma creates an environment wherein sexual minority adolescents may be unable to see how their sexual identities are shared with others, fit into society, and have cultural value, thus leaving them to feel like "second-class citizens" (Santaemilia, 2009).…”