Being Out: a General Model

It is argued that being out to heterosexuals is a result of structural and individual conditions permitting one to be out, rather than a late stage in a process of coming out. The concept of coming out is largely applicable to the transition to adulthood while having little applicability to adult homosexuals. Data on 1,556 gay men are presented showing the relationships of being out to heterosexuals with income, type of occupation, area of residence, sexual orientation of friends, and individual non-conformity. These data show that much variation in being out can be explained by these factors rather than a stage of the coming out process.