The Experience of Loneliness among Gay Men in Israel: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the experience of loneliness among Israeli gay men in their early and mid-adulthood, ages 30–50 (N = 14). The findings demonstrate three main categories of loneliness that study participants experienced: childhood loneliness as an initial experience of gay identity; loneliness in the context of other gay men, via sexual encounters, friendships, and the use of dating apps; and loneliness in the context of heterosexual society. The findings point to the centrality of the experience of loneliness among Israeli gay men in their mid-adulthood years and emphasize how this loneliness is rooted in socio-cultural and political perceptions concerning hetero-normative as well as gay identities.