Obstacles to Overcome in Developing a
Positive Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Identity

  1. Silence: Few openly "out" role models; little sense of gay and lesbian history/culture; invisibility of gay/lesbian contributions to history.


  2. Lies: Distorted images and stereotypes/myths by news media, church, TV/film,; lack of accurate responsible research; etc.


  3. Isolation: Without the freedom to gather or be open, gays and lesbians cannot easily share ideas and develop strategies to combat heterosexism and homophobic oppression.


  4. Intimidation: As gays become more open, society becomes more overt, ridicule, jokes; legal threats of attack, prison, blackmail, custody battles, job loss, eviction; etc.


  5. Physical violence: Assaults, rapes, murder; electroshock therapy; etc.


  6. Denial of Basic Civil Rights: Denial of basic rights such as employment, housing, child custody, freedom of association/assembly, freedom of speech, etc.





Adapted from: Baetz, Ruth, "The Coming Out Process: Violence Against Lesbians", in Darty, Trudy and Potter Sandee (1984), Women-Identified Women, Palo Alto: Mayfield Publishing Company, pps. 45-50.