Cohort effect on the coming out experiences of bisexual men

McCormack, M.; Anderson, E.; Adams, A.

doi:10.1177/0038038513518851

Cohort effect on the coming out experiences of bisexual men

McCormack, M.; Anderson, E.; Adams, A.

Authors

M. McCormack

E. Anderson

A. Adams

Abstract

This article examines bisexual men’s experiences of coming out across three age cohorts, and documents generational differences in the reception from friends and family regarding this disclosure. Drawing on in-depth interviews with an ethnically diverse sample of 60 openly bisexual men from the United States, we find that the oldest cohort encountered the most stereotypical views and prejudiced behaviour, while those of the youngest cohort expressed predominantly positive coming out stories. We attribute the cohort differences in these experiences to a decrease in cultural homophobia, alongside changes in the social organisation of masculinities.

Citation

McCormack, M., Anderson, E., & Adams, A. (2014). Cohort effect on the coming out experiences of bisexual men. Sociology, 48(6), 1207-1223. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038513518851

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Feb 17, 2014
Deposit Date	Nov 29, 2013
Publicly Available Date	Feb 24, 2014
Journal	Sociology
Print ISSN	0038-0385
Electronic ISSN	1469-8684
Publisher	SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	48
Issue	6
Pages	1207-1223
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038513518851
Keywords	Bisexuality, Biphobia, Coming out, Homophobia, Masculinity.

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Copyright Statement
McCormack, M. and Anderson, E. and Adams, A. (2014) 'Cohort effect on the coming out experiences of bisexual men.', Sociology., 48 (6). pp. 1207-1223. © The Author(s) 2014. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.