Citation

Cense M, Ganzevoort RR. J. Homosex. 2016; 64(5): 654-670.

Affiliation

Practical Theology , Vrije Universiteit , Amsterdam , HV , the Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/00918369.2016.1196992

PMID

27268594

Abstract

Young people who discover their sexual attraction to people of the same sex often go through a period of ambivalence or distress, especially when they grow up in an environment that condemns homosexuality. The Dutch socio-political context makes the expression of same-sex desires among those with non-Dutch roots even more complicated and risky, as prevailing schemes of interpretation render the two identities incompatible. This study explores the expressions of same-sex desires and identities as well as the different forms of agency of bicultural gay youth. In-depth interviews with fourteen young adults reveal how young people negotiate bicultural identities in Dutch society that brings to the fore complexities in managing diverse sexual identities and strong religious and cultural affiliations in tandem. Their strategies have the effect of questioning dominant discourses and transcend the oppositional dichotomy between sexual and ethnic forms of socio-cultural otherness.

Language: en