Masters Theses

Date of Award

5-2013

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Psychology

Major Professor

Dawn M. Szymanski

Committee Members

Joseph Miles, Jacob Levy

Abstract

The development of one’s sexual minority identity is a major part of sexual minority persons’ lives, but unfortunately one that is often stunted by a heterosexist society. For individuals with multiple minority oppressions, the formation of a sexual minority identity becomes even more complicated. As such, there has been a call among researchers for more empirical research on the experiences of LGB individuals from racial/ethnic minority groups. The present study uses qualitative methods to fill some of the gaps in the literature related to identity development among same-gender attracted Middle Eastern/Arab individuals living in the United States (US). From 12 interviews, thirteen themes associated with the following issues emerged: intersectionality, race/ethnicity, sexual identity development, discrimination, stigma, oppression, sexual orientation disclosure, and invisibility. Themes, subthemes, and their implications are discussed.

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