Experiences of Gays and Lesbians Facing the Choice about Coming Out

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K13710
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 08010:Sociology-related
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: Otsubo Mariko 早稲田大学, 文学学術院, その他(招聘研究員) (20801773)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: カミングアウト / カムアウト / 性的マイノリティ / LGBT / 同性愛者 / 個人化 / レリヴァンス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study focuses on the everyday experience of lesbians and gays in facing the choices regarding coming out, and examines the ways in which such burdens are allocated to them in Japanese society today. The main findings of this study are the "individualization of coming out" as well as the "heterosexually assumed interaction" as one condition under which coming out becomes problematic in the subjectivity of non-heterosexual people. Additionally, a new analytical perspective was proposed that analyzes social mechanisms that allocate the burden of choice regarding coming out to gay and lesbian people.

Free Research Field

社会学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の知見は、カミングアウトについての選択自体の負担を性的マイノリティに課している既存社会のあり方を、批判的に問い直すという点で、社会的意義をもつ。またその成果は、国内外の従来の同性愛者のカミングアウト研究が扱ってきた問題と枠組みについて再考を促すものといえる。本研究は、今後、さまざまな社会的マイノリティのカミングアウトや自己開示にかんする経験的研究へと援用が期待される。