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ERIC Number: EJ1321415
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Dec
Pages: 32
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3532
EISSN: N/A
The Coming out Experiences of Gifted, LGBTQ Students: When, to Whom, and Why Not?
Tuite, Jo; Rubenstein, Lisa DaVia; Salloum, Serena J.
Journal for the Education of the Gifted, v44 n4 p366-397 Dec 2021
The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the coming out experiences of gifted LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning or queer) alumni from a residential gifted high school. First, we found that gifted LGBTQ alumni (N = 106) realized their sexual orientation/gender identity around 16.6 years old, which is similar to the general population. The year of high school graduation did not correlate with the age of initial realizations, or when they shared. On average, when the participants did share, they waited 2.1 years to share with friends and 3.4 years to share with family. Furthermore, they felt more comfortable sharing within the residential gifted high school than in their home schools. In general, LGBTQ alumni felt more autonomous, competent, and connected to the residential school. Finally, participants reported many barriers to coming out, including both internal struggles (e.g., uncertain themselves) and social fears (e.g., fear of alienation or harassment). These findings can provide guidance for school personnel as they develop effective, support systems.
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2814
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A