| The present study seeks to explicate American lesbian and gay identity by examining the forms and functions of four discourse genres associated with lesbian and gay self-presentation. The discourse genres that are investigated are the speech act of coming out and the genre of advice literature that addresses the problems of coming out; the coming out story, and gay implicature. The aim of the study is to show how these discourse genres emerge out of certain shared beliefs---about the self, interpersonal relationships, and the functions of language---that give participants a sense of identity as lesbian and gay. These shared beliefs, along with the norms of behavior to which they give rise, constitute a discourse system.; Each individual is a member of multiple discourse systems (e.g., ethnic, religious, gender, generational). The norms of behavior operative within each of these discourse systems may conflict with each other. Indeed, it is these conflicting discourse systems, for example, the lesbian and gay discourse system, on the one hand, and the fundamentalist Christian discourse system, on the other, within which the individual is a member, that potentially create difficulties for the individual's ability to define her/his identity. Depending on which discourse system is dominant in a given situation, certain ways of speaking and relating to others will be emphasized and others suppressed.; The analysis reveals that lesbian and gay identity are not simply outcomes of individually-motivated acts but emerges out of a more complex pattern of ideology, socialization, and politeness norms (face systems). The category of lesbian and gay identity forms a more or less coherent discourse system that espouses certain beliefs (e.g., sexual orientation is a major defining trait of who a person "really" is), has characteristic ways of enculturating members (e.g., coming out self-help books and pamphlets), and emphasizes certain types of interpersonal relationships (e.g., honesty and openness between parent and child). |
