Context matters

This chapter examines the large-scale social forces that impact the disclosure and exposure attitudes and experiences of those interviewed. Similarities and differences in approaches to coming out and being out vary notably between different generations (baby boomers, Gen X, etc.) and regions of the country. Those variations also reflect cultural differences in urban and rural communities, particularly when those communities are very homogeneous and/or very religious. Another broad factor that impacted people’s experiences was the overall national political climate, both now (interviews were conducted right at the beginning of Donald Trump’s first term) and generationally as individuals were coming of age. Consistent with this, on a personal level, local politics and culture with regard to the larger liberal-conservative landscape were salient in regard to people navigating their identities on an everyday basis. This trend was also clear generationally, as those who came of age during the AIDS epidemic discussed how the national conversation at the time impacted their willingness to disclose and the outcomes of those disclosures. In short, this chapter discusses how disclosure and exposure are impacted by the national political, cultural, and social structural landscape. Depending on their location and/or current events, LGBTQ+ individuals demonstrate varying levels of hypervigilance in determining safe places, people, and situations.