No way am I throwing you out! Adjustments in space and time for parents of gay sons

Abstract

The situatedness of the coming out process in space and time shapes the perceptions of parents about what it means to have a gay son. We present a retrospective, qualitative study about coming out narratives of Maltese parents. The study sought to find out whether the initial meanings the parents attached to the coming out of their son had altered as a result of time and circumstances. The findings suggest that over time the parents learnt how to navigate social expectations by changing their perspectives and overall they reported positive adjustment. Various insights about homosexuality were gained as they learnt how to disentangle themselves from old ways of thinking that stood in the way of their happiness. Their relationship with their son acquired new meanings and deeper emotional bonds were formed. Insights about spacetime derived from a posthuman perspective have contributed to our understanding of how the parents came to affirm their son’s homosexual identity. The study suggests that aspects of time and space could contribute to better adjustment for parents in various social settings.