The Complexities of Outness: Psychosocial Predictors of Coming Out to Others Among Black Lesbian and Bisexual Women

Abstract

This mixed method study investigated the psychosocial predictors of coming out among a predominantly middle-class sample of Black lesbian and bisexual women (LBW; N = 95) between the ages of 18 and 68. Results demonstrated that demographic variables (i.e., age, age of coming out, income), social support, and ranking one's LBW identity greater than one's Black identity significantly predicted being "out and talking about" one's sexual identity to others. Findings from semistructured interviews with a subsample (n = 19) of Black LBWs about experiences of coming out and being out demonstrated two key themes: (a) although coming out is important, decisions to do so are often collective, shaped by familial, community, and religious concerns, rather than an individualistic need to be out; and (b) the experience of coming and being out is contextualized through the intersection of race, gender, and sexual identities, rather than separate identities as Black and LBW.

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