They are not associated primarily or exclusively with sexual behaviors, even though they recognize private sexual conduct and, in the case of marriage, legitimize such conduct. Like heterosexuality, a homosexual orientation is closely related to important personal identities, social roles, and community memberships. These identities and community connections are emphasized by the use of self-referent terms such as gay and lesbian . Homosexuality, however, is stigmatized in the United States. Whereas normal sexuality is equated with heterosexuality in U.S. culture, homosexuals historically have been regarded as abnormal and deviant, and have accordingly been stigmatized as sinners, criminals, and psychopaths.
Stigma persists to the present day.
Consequently, for homosexual persons to disclose or affirm their sexual orientation is to identify themselves as members of a stigmatized group. Moreover, because people are assumed to be heterosexual unless evidence is provided to the contrary, disclosing that one is homosexual requires an interruption of the normal flow of social interaction. Because the social roles available to homosexual persons are not desexualized as are heterosexual roles, an assertion that one has a same-gender partner or that one is gay is often interpreted primarily as a statement about one s private sexual conduct. For many people, however, to be gay or lesbian is to assume a quasi-ethnic identity that represents membership in a larger community and is central to their sense of self. Such affirmations are a critical component of the process of identity formation and integration of the identity with other aspects of the self, an important component of psychological health.