Conceptualizing lesbian sexual identity development: Narrative accounts of socializing structures and individual decisions and actions

Many theories have aimed to chart lesbian, gay and bisexual identity development. These include traditional developmental models as well as newer approaches designed to capture a more fluid, multidimensional trajectory, both of which have tended to neglect the role of intersectional identities, context and individual variation in lesbian identity development. This study used inductive research methods, informed by grounded theory, to examine lesbian identity development in life narrative interviews with four lesbian scholar-activists from different national and racial backgrounds. The women’s narratives suggest that a dynamic, non-linear, and contextualized representation of sexual identity development may more accurately describe lesbian identity development in terms of intersecting identities, national and local contexts, and personal and professional relationships.