Coming out(comes) : analyzing coming out messages in a familial context

The purpose of this study was to analyze lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) coming out conversations in a familial context using Message Design Logics (O’Keefe, 1988) and Queer and Critical literature. Participants (N =104) responded to an online survey including measures for message design logics, psychological and sociological identity factors, cognitive complexity, relational closeness, relational distancing, and familial reactions to coming out. To accomplish this, first the collected coming out conversations were coded according to traditional message design logic categories and then separately for power and performativity. Results indicated that coming out conversations can be reliably classified into the traditional message categories and there were also elements of power and performativity that transcend traditional design logic categories. In the current study, a majority of the coming out messages were coded as expressive (N = 61). Then, the various message categories were assessed according to the hypothesized associations between message design, message predictors, and outcomes. Results indicated that cognitive complexity was not a significant predictor of message design, breaking with previous message design research. The traditional design categories were not meaningfully associated with the hypothesized predictors, but messages with elements of power and performativity significantly associated with perceived stigma. Then, associations between message designs, relational distancing, and familial reactions were proposed and tested. In the current study, traditional message design categories significantly affected family members’ reactions but not relational distancing. Lastly, a moderation model was prosed and tested, wherein relational closeness significantly moderated the associations between coming out messages and familial reactions. There were also significant relationships between both the critical messages and the separate power and performativity messages and relational distancing and familial reactions. Finally, these results were discussed and future directions for further research were proposed.