‘Narrative Iconicity in Electronic- Mail Lesbian Coming-Out Stories

Abstract

Abstract Because mainstream heterosexist society would have it that everyone be hetero­ sexual until proven otherwise, gay men and lesbians have, throughout the course of a lifetime, an infinite number of situations in which we must experience and reveal ourselves as “other! ‘ Although not every gay man or lesbian makes a conscious decision to “come out of the closet” and declare his or her homosexuality, those who do often recount these experiences in coming-out stories. Penelope and Wolfe (1989:10) explain that coming-out stories often describe a process of self­ recognition and acceptance that extends over years, even decades.