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people who aren't straight to keep their sexual orientation secret, even from friends and family who might be supportive.

Some gay or lesbian teens tell a few accepting, supportive friends and family members about their sexual orientation. This is often called coming out.

Many lesbian, gay, and bisexual teens who come out to their friends and families are fully accepted by them and their communities. They feel comfortable about being attracted to someone of the same gender and don't feel anxious about it.

Adolescence

Adolescence is usually an exciting though conflicting stage of enormous change in a person's life. Though not a particularly easy period for most young people, for heterosexual adolescents, social and educational structures are in place to support their emerging sexual identity formation. Through the process of socialization, their feelings are validated and mirrored by their peers, by supportive adult role models, through course materials and class discussions, and by positive portrayals in the media. School and home environments (primary places of socialization) permit them the opportunity to openly explore and rehearse behaviors necessary for the development of interpersonal skills and formation of their identities.

(Core) Gender Identity:

This is the individual's innermost concept of self as "male" or "female" -- what we perceive and call ourselves. Individuals develop this generally between the ages of 18 months and 3 years. Most people develop a gender identity aligning with their biological sex. For some, however, their gender identity is different from their biological sex. We call these "transsexuals," some of whom hormonally and/or surgically change their sex to more fully match their gender identity.

In 1973, the American Psychiatric Associated voted to eliminate homosexuality from its list of disordered mental conditions, referring to it rather as a variation in sexual orientation. Two years later, the American Psychological Association followed suit by resolving that, "Homosexuality per se implies no impairment in judgment, liability, or general societal or vocational capabilities," and urged psychologists "to take the lead in removing the stigma of mental illness long associated with homosexual orientations." (2)

Identity Confusion

During early adolescence, this stage is emphasized by an inner turmoil and uncertainty surrounding sexual identity: a time of "identity limbo" before the individual develops perceptions of self as "gay" or "lesbian," but also when he or she is no longer certain of being "heterosexual." By middle to late adolescence, the perception of "I am probably homosexual" begins to emerge. This stage might last anywhere from a month, a year, or in some cases, permanently. Factors responsible for this "confusion" include:

1. Altered perceptions of self, feelings of being sexually different;
2. Experiences of heterosexual and homosexual arousal and behavior;
3. Stigma surrounding homosexuality; the societal condemnation of homosexuality creates problems of guilt, secrecy, and difficulty in gaining access to other gay and lesbian people.
4. Inaccurate knowledge about homosexuals and homosexuality.

To help young people at this stage, they need to be made aware that gay and lesbian people exist and must be given accurate and current information about those who occupy the category to see the connections and similarities between their own desires and behaviors and those who label themselves as gay or lesbian. During this stage, the individual's confusion might result in one or a number of stigma-management strategies, sometimes referred to as forms of "internalized homophobia":

1. Denial of the "homosexual" component of their feelings, fantasies, or behaviors.
   
2. Repair involving attempts to rid themselves of same-sex feelings and behaviors. Professional psychiatric help is sometimes sought.
   
4. Redefining the meaning of the feelings, fantasies, or behaviors to the self: "I'm not really homosexual. I'm only passing through a phase." or "Gee, was I drunk." or "It only happened once." or "I'm probably bisexual."
   
5. Acceptance that feelings, fantasies, or behaviors are homosexual and the individuals seek out additional sources of information and gradual realization that "gay" and "lesbian" exist as valid social categories, which eventually begins to diminish sense of isolation.
   
   
6. Avoidance can take a number of forms:
   
   
   1. inhibition of behaviors or interests thought associated with homosexuality and with gay and lesbian people.
      
   2. limiting exposure to members of the other sex to prevent peers and family from suspecting individual's relative lack of heterosexual desires.
      
   3. avoidance of accurate information that would confirm to the individual her or his suspected gay or lesbian identity.
      
   4. distancing through homophobic acts by ridiculing and/or attacking homosexuality and gay and lesbian people.
      
   5. escapism through the use and abuse of chemical substances.

Sexual Behavior

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