Psychology Research: Lgbtq+ People of Colour - Coming-Out Experiences

“Coming out” is commonly understood as the process by which sexuality and gender-diverse individuals disclose their identity to others. While it is often portrayed as a critical step toward personal liberation and individuality, traditional coming-out models reflect Western cultural ideals and overlook the complex experiences of people of colour. For people of colour, coming out is shaped by intersectional factors such as race, culture, and socioeconomic status, which introduce additional layers of minority stress, discrimination, and risk of social rejection. These frameworks typically assume positive outcomes from coming out, yet people of colour often more aligned with collectivist orientations, may conceal their sexual or gender identity to protect themselves from familial rejection, cultural conflict, and safety risks. In collectivist cultures, where family and community cohesion are prioritised, coming out may disrupt cultural and relational harmony, making the decision-making process more complex. In line with the American Psychological Association’s recent efforts to address its historical role in systemic racism in psychology, this qualitative research used interviews with seven sexuality and diverse people of colour to explore how these people navigate the coming-out process. Results of interpretative phenomenological analysis demonstrate the complexities of coming out for the participants, who perceived themselves as needing to navigate both collectivist and individualist values in framing an identity. Results can inform more culturally responsive therapeutic approaches, contribute knowledge towards decolonising psychology, while helping sexuality and gender-diverse people of colour navigate identity formation within broader sociocultural and historical contexts.

Are you a person of colour who is gender and/or sexuality diverse?

You are invited to participate in a study exploring the lived experiences of coming out decisions for sexuality and gender diverse (LGBTQ+) people of colour.

This research is conducted by Mr Tidus Artorius under the supervision of Associate Professor Fiona Ann Papps and Dr Arnie Collison of the Discipline of Psychological Science at the Australian College of Applied Professions (ACAP). Tidus is completing his research as part of his Master of Professional Psychology degree at ACAP.

You can take part in this research if you:
- Self-identify gender or sexuality diverse
- A person of colour (i.e., not white)
- Reside in Australia.
- Are 18 years and older.
- Proficient enough in spoken English to complete a verbal interview conducted in English
- Have no personal relationship with any of the researchers

If you are interested, you would complete a 45 – 60-minute interview with Tidus via Zoom with wait room and passcode enabled.

Interested people, please e-mail Tidus at [email protected]

This research has been approved by the ACAP Human Research Ethics Committee (EC00447) (Approval Number: 866140524)
For concerns about ethical aspects of this research, please contact the ACAP HREC: [email protected]