Biographical Work of Parents of Children with Non-Normative Sexual Orientation and/or Gender Identity

Katarzyna Gajek

doi:10.18778/1733-8077.20.1.04

Authors

Katarzyna Gajek University of Lodz, Poland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-8077.20.1.04

Keywords:

Biographical Work, Narrative Interview, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Coming Out, LGBTQIA, Parents of Non-Normative Children

Abstract

This paper aims to reconstruct the biographical work (Corbin and Strauss) undertaken by parents of non-normative people. The initiating event of biographical work is the disclosure of a non-normative sexual orientation and/or gender identity by the child. For many parents, this is an event that causes a breakdown of previous schemes of action, a gradual loss of control, and suffering.

The empirical data consist of autobiographical narratives of parents of people with non-normative sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The study involved mothers and fathers residing throughout Poland, who were selected according to the snowball procedure. The data were collected through the narrative interview technique and compiled according to the analytical procedure proposed by Fritz Schütze, which is part of the interpretative research paradigm.

In the course of four parallel biographical processes (contextualizing, coming to terms, reconstituting identity, and recasting biography), the new experience is integrated into the biography, its consequences are understood and accepted, a coherent identity is reconstituted and a new course for one’s life are charted. The analysis of the narrators’ biographical work has made it possible to identify three categories that organize the course of the parents’ lives and identities—stigma, normalization, and activism.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Katarzyna Gajek, University of Lodz, Poland

Katarzyna Gajek, Ph.D., is a social pedagogue, a Doctor of Humanities in the discipline of education, and an assistant professor at the University of Lodz, Department of Social Pedagogy and Social Rehabilitation. Her research areas include Gender Studies, the phenomenon of violence (domestic violence, bullying, human trafficking), social exclusion and empowerment processes, parenthood, and qualitative research methods (especially biographical method and discourse analysis).

References

Ben-Ari, Adital. 1995. “The Discovery That an Offspring Is Gay: Parents’, Gay Men’s, and Lesbians’ Perspectives.” Journal of Homosexuality 30(1):89-112.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v30n01_05

Bernstein, Barbara E. 1990. “Attitudes and Issues of Parents of Gay Men and Lesbians and Implications for Therapy.” Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy 1(3):37-53.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J236v01n03_03

Blumer, Herbert. 1954. “What Is Wrong with Social Theory?” American Sociological Review 19:3-10.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2088165

Broad, Kendal L. 2002. “Social Movement Selves.” Sociological Perspectives 45(3):317-336.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/sop.2002.45.3.317

Butler, Judith. 1990. Gender Trouble. New York: Routledge.
Google Scholar

Cohen, Kenneth M. and Ritch C. Savin-Williams. 1996. “Developmental Perspectives on Coming Out to Self and Others.” Pp. 113-151 in The Lives of Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals: Children to Adults, edited by R. C. Savin-Williams and K. M. Cohen. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College.
Google Scholar

Coleman, Eli. 1981/1982. “Developmental Stages of the Coming Out Process.” Journal of Homosexuality 7:31-43.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v07n02_06

Corbin, Juliet and Anselm L. Strauss. 1985. “Managing Chronic Illness at Home: Three Lines of Work.” Qualitative Sociology 8(3):224-247.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00989485

Corbin, Juliet and Anselm L. Strauss. 1988. Unending Work and Care. Managing Chronic Illness at Home. San Francisco, London: Jossey-Bass.
Google Scholar

Cramer, David W. and Arthur J. Roach. 1988. “Coming Out to Mom and Dad: A Study of Gay Males and Their Relationships with Their Parents.” Journal of Homosexuality 15:79-91.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v15n03_04

D’Augelli, Anthony R. 1994. “Identity Development and Sexual Orientation: Toward a Model of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Development.” Pp. 312-333 in Human Diversity: Perspectives on People in Context, edited by E. J. Trickett, R. J. Watts, and D. Birman. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Google Scholar

D’Augelli, Anthony R. 2005. “Stress and Adaptation among Families of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth: Research Challenges.” Journal of GLBT Family Studies 1:115-135.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J461v01n02_07

D’Augelli, Anthony R., Scott L. Hershberger, and Neil W. Pilkington. 1998. “Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth and Their Families: Disclosure of Sexual Orientation and Its Consequences.” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 63:361-371.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0080345

Darby-Mullins, Pamela and Tamera B. Murdock. 2007. “The Influence of Family Environment Factors on Self-Acceptance and Emotional Adjustment among Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Adolescents.” Journal of LGBT Family Studies 3:75-91.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J461v03n01_04

Fields, Jessica. 2001. “Normal Queers: Straight Parents Respond to Their Children’s Coming Out.” Symbolic Interaction 24(2):165-187.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/si.2001.24.2.165

Floyd, Frank J. et al. 1999. “Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youths: Separation-Individuation, Parental Attitudes, Identity Consolidation, and Well-Being.” Journal of Youth and Adolescence 28:719-739.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021691601737

Foucault, Michel. 1978. The History of Sexuality. New York: Pantheon.
Google Scholar

Giddens, Anthony. 1991. Modernity and Self-Identity. Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Google Scholar

Glaser, Barney G. and Anselm L. Strauss. 1967. The Discovery of Grounded Theory. Strategies for Qualitative Research. Chicago: Aldine Publishing.
Google Scholar

Guittar, Nicholas A. 2013. “The Meaning of Coming Out: From Self-Affirmation to Full Disclosure.” Qualitative Sociology Review 9(3):168-187.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-8077.9.3.09

Habarth, Janice M. 2015. “Development of the Heteronormative Attitudes and Beliefs Scale.” Psychology & Sexuality 6(2):166-188.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2013.876444

Heatherington, Laurie and Justin A. Lavner. 2008. “Coming to Terms with Coming Out: Review and Recommendations for Family Systems-Focused Research.” Journal of Family Psychology 22(3):329-343.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.22.3.329

Herek, Gregory M. 2004. “Beyond ‘Homophobia’: Thinking about Sexual Prejudice and Stigma in the Twenty-First Century.” Sexuality Research and Social Policy 1:6-24.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/srsp.2004.1.2.6

Hermanns, Harry. 1987. “Narrative Interview: A New Tool for Sociological Field Research.” Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Sociologica 13:43-56.
Google Scholar

Hersch, P. 1991. “Secret Lives: Lesbian and Gay Teens in Fear of Discovery.” The Family Therapy Networker 36-39:41-43.
Google Scholar

Holtzen, David W., Maureen E. Kenny, and James R. Mahalik. 1995. “Contributions of Parental Attachment to Gay or Lesbian Disclosure to Parents and Dysfunctional Cognitive Processes.” Journal of Counseling Psychology 42:350-355.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-0167.42.3.350

Horsdal, Marianne. 2004. “Ciało, umysł i opowieści – o ontologicznych i epistemologicznych perspektywach narracji na temat doświadczeń osobistych [Body, Mind, and Stories—About the Ontological and Epistemological Perspectives of Narratives about Personal Experiences].” Teraźniejszość – Człowiek – Edukacja 2:9-29.
Google Scholar

Johnson, J. L. and Amy L. Best. 2012. “Radical Normals: The Moral Career of Straight Parents as Public Advocates for Their Gay Children.” Symbolic Interaction 35(3):321-339.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/symb.23

Kübler-Ross, Elisabeth. 1969. On Death and Dying. New York: Macmillan.
Google Scholar

LaSala, Michael C. 2000. “Lesbians, Gay Men, and Their Parents: Family Therapy for the Coming Out Crisis.” Family Process 39:67-81.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2000.39108.x

Lombardi, Emilia. 2009. “Varieties of Transgender/Transsexual Lives and Their Relationship with Transphobia.” Journal of Homosexuality 56(8):977-992.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00918360903275393

Marchia, Joseph and Jamie M. Sommer. 2019. “(Re)Defining Heteronormativity.” Sexualities 22(3):267-295.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1363460717741801

Martin, Karin A. et al. 2010. “Advice When Children Come Out: The Cultural ‘Tool Kits’ of Parents.” Journal of Family Issues 31(7):960-991.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X09354454

Merighi, Joseph R. and Marty D. Grimes. 2000. “Coming Out to Families in a Multicultural Context.” Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services 81(1):32-41.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.1090

Nagoshi, Julie L. et al. 2008. “Gender Differences in Correlates of Homophobia and Transphobia.” Sex Roles 59(7):521-531.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9458-7

Newman, Bernie S. and Peter G. Muzzonigro. 1993. “The Effects of Traditional Family Values on the Coming Out Process of Gay Male Adolescents.” Adolescence 28:213-227.
Google Scholar

Rhoads, Robert A. 1994. Coming Out in College: The Struggle for a Queer Identity. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey.
Google Scholar

Rich, Adrienne. 1980. “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence.” Signs 5(4):631-660.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/493756

Robinson, Bryan E., Lynda H. Walters, and Patsy Skeen. 1989. “Response of Parents to Learning That Their Child Is Homosexual and Concern over AIDS: A National Study.” Journal of Homosexuality 18:59-80.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v18n01_03

Rosner, Katarzyna. 2003. Narracja, tożsamość i czas [Narrative, Identity, and Time]. Cracow: Universitas.
Google Scholar

Rotheram-Borus, Mary J. and Kris A. Langabeer. 2001. “Developmental Trajectories of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youths.” Pp. 97-128 in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identities and Youth. Psychological Perspectives, edited by A. R. D’Augelli and C. J. Patterson. New York: Oxford University Press.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195119527.003.0005

Rubin, Gayle. 1984. “Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality.” Pp 267-319 in Pleasure and Danger: Exploring Female Sexuality, edited by C. S. Vance. Boston: Rutledge.
Google Scholar

Russell, Glenda M. and Janis S. Bohan. 2006. “The Case of Internalized Homophobia: Theory and/as Practice.” Theory & Psychology 16(3):343-366.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354306064283

Saltzburg, Susan. 2004. “Leaning That an Adolescent Child is Gay or Lesbian: The Parent Experience.” Social Work 49:109-118.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/49.1.109

Saltzburg, Susan. 2007. “Narrative Therapy Pathways for Re-Authoring with Parents of Adolescents Coming-Out as Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual.” Contemporary Family Therapy 29:57-69.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-007-9035-1

Savin-Williams, Ritch C. 1989. “Coming Out to Parents and Self-Esteem among Gay and Lesbian Youths.” Journal of Homosexuality 18(1-2):1-35.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v18n01_01

Savin-Williams, Ritch C. and Erik M. Dubé. 1998. “Parental Reactions to Their Child’s Disclosure of a Gay/Lesbian Identity.” Family Relations 47:7-13.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/584845

Savin-Williams, Ritch C. and Geoffrey L. Ream. 2003. “Sex Variations in the Disclosure to Parents of Same-Sex Attractions.” Journal of Family Psychology 17:429-438.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.17.3.429

Schütze, Fritz. 2006. “Verlaufskurven des Erleidens als Forschungsgegenstand der interpretativen Soziologie [Trajectories of Suffering as an Object of Study in Interpretive Sociology].” Pp. 205-237 in Handbuch erziehungswissenschaftliche Biographieforschung [Handbook of Educational Biographical Research], 2nd ed., edited by H. H. Krüger and W. Marotzki. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-531-90010-0_11

Schütze, Fritz. 2008. “Biography Analysis on the Empirical Base of Autobiographical Narratives: How to Analyze Autobiographical Narrative Interviews—Part One.” European Studies on Inequalities and Social Cohesion 1:153-242.
Google Scholar

Strommen, Erik F. 1989. “‘You’re a What?’: Family Member Reactions to the Disclosure of Homosexuality.” Journal of Homosexuality 18:37-58.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v18n01_02

Švab, Alenka and Roman Kuhar. 2014. “The Transparent and Family Closets. Gay Men and Lesbians and Their Families of Origin.” Journal of GLBT Family Studies 10(1-2):15-35.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428X.2014.857553

Waldner, Lisa K. and Brian Magruder. 1999. “Coming Out to Parents: Perceptions of Family Relations, Perceived Resources, and Identity Expression as Predictors of Identity Disclosure for Gay and Lesbian Adolescents.” Journal of Homosexuality 27(2):83-100.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v37n02_05