Gay men's narratives and the pursuit of well-being in healthcare settings: A London study

Abstract

Narratives can provide insight into the values through which people interpret their own lives and the meaning which they ascribe to them. Gay men, since the 1970s, have developed a pattern of narratives whereby they choose to be open and honest about their homosexuality as opposed to being secretive or dishonest about it. This paper explores the ways in which gay men develop and share narratives with one another as they pursue an improvement in their mental or emotional well-being. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 38 service users of services targeted at gay men. This study demonstrates that while being open about their sexuality is a shared element in narratives among gay men, their homosexuality alone does not inform these narratives. Gay men are able to develop and share narratives with other men who share further dimensions to their experience such as their health status or their ethnicity. Given the stressful nature of gay commercial meeting places and the mistrust often found between gay men and healthcare practitioners in relation to homosexuality, the development and sharing of narratives has the potential to promote well-being, which is not often achieved in other settings.