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Gender & Society
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"COMING OUT" IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONISM:

Sexual Identity Formation among Lesbian and Bisexual Women

PAULA C. RUST

Hamilton College

This article examines sexual identity formation among 346 lesbian-identified and 60 bisexual-identified women. On average, bisexuals come out at later ages and exhibit less "stable" identity histories. However, variations in identity history among lesbians and bisexuals overshadow the differences between them and demonstrate that coming out is not a linear, goal-oriented, developmental process. Sexual identity formation must be reconceptualized as a process of describing one's social location within a changing social context. Changes in sexual identity are, therefore, expected of mature individuals as they maintain an accurate description of their position vis-à-vis other individuals, groups, and institutions.

Gender & Society, Vol. 7, No. 1, 50-77 (1993)
DOI: 10.1177/089124393007001004
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