Negotiating Identities: Gay Catholic Men

Abstract from thesis:
While original research on identity formation located human identity growth and change in discrete (and usually early) stages, contemporary research considers human identity as growing and evolving identity throughout the life cycle. A secondary limitation of earlier research is the narrow population sample. My research uses contemporary theories of identity formation to understand an under-researched (or research-ignored) group: gay Catholic men. Identifying a group of men with two potentially competing identify factors, I ask the research question(s): What common themes exist among gay Catholic men when negotiating their identities? Specifically, what are the common themes for men located in a major US urban center? To answer this question, in 2011 I conducted an exploratory qualitative study of identity formation among 10 gay Catholic men, ages 24 to 68, in the greater New York City area, to illuminate common themes among each participant’s identity formation.
Participants of diverse backgrounds were recruited from DignityUSA for ethnographic interviews averaging one hour in length. Grounded theory practices and deductive analysis were used in this exploratory study. Findings suggest three common themes of identity negotiation and understanding centered on coming out, the institutional and pastoral Church, and acceptance within the family. These themes bring insight to challenges the participants faced when combining two distinct identities.

This is an interdisciplinary Honor Thesis in Feminist Studies and Human Biology.