Running head: THEORY-TO-PRACTICE 1

Theory-to-Practice: D’Augelli’s Life Span Model

Dean S. Paulk

Western Carolina University

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Quite often, whether due to being SafeZone certified or being a member of the LGBTQ+

community, I interact with students who are also part of the LGBTQ+ community. One such

student, who I will refer to as Brandon, initially visited my office in order to discuss his resume.

Throughout our appointments, we talked about many things, but spent a significant amount of

time discussing sexual identity and how it impacts his life and career choices. In this paper, I

will discuss our conversations, relating his development to D’Augelli’s (1994) Life Span Model

of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity Development.

Description of Situation

The first resume appointment with Brandon led to further appointments, where I

discussed various things with him, including cover letters, graduate school, applying for jobs,

and more. Peppered throughout these appointments were conversations regarding Brandon’s

sexual identity. We quickly discovered that we shared many identities, including sexual identity

and neurodevelopmental diagnoses (namely, Autism Spectrum and ADHD), along with career

interests. This led to a sort of mentorship between the two of us, where Brandon asked many

questions that are not typical for my other student appointments. Some of the questions related

to working in higher education while on the spectrum and with ADHD, while other questions

focused on sexual identity.

D'Augelli’s Life Span Model of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity Development

D’Augelli’s (1994) Life Span Model of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity

Development includes six processes related to identity development: exiting heterosexual

identity, developing a personal lesbian-gay-bisexual identity status, developing a lesbian-gay-

bisexual social identity, becoming a lesbian-gay-bisexual offspring, developing a lesbian-gay-

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bisexual intimacy status, and entering a lesbian-gay-bisexual community (D’Augelli, 1994;

Patton, Renn, Guido, & Quaye, 2016).

Exiting Heterosexual Identity is a process where an individual acknowledges one’s

attractions and makes sense of them (D’Augelli, 1994). This process also involves “coming out”

Developing a Personal Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual Identity Status is a process which involves

determining what being LGB-identified means to an individual along with recognizing and

developing an understanding of internalized myths and preconceptions about LGB people

(D’Augelli, 1994).

Developing a Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual Social Identity is a process where one creates a

supportive community of friends and family that is affirmative and not simply tolerating of the

individual, regardless of their identity (D’Augelli, 1994). This allows the individual to not have

to hide their identity within their social group (D’Augelli, 1994).

Becoming a Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual Offspring is a process where one’s focus is on

reintegration into the family and repairing those relationships (D’Augelli, 1994). Often parental

and family relationships are changed or disrupted when one “comes out” as LGB (D’Augelli,

1994).

Developing a Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual Intimacy Status is a process where it is necessary to

develop “personal, couple-specific, and community norms” due to a lack of visible role models

or cultural norms surrounding same-sex relationships (D’Augelli, 1994, p. 327). This means that

a LGB identified person must put in additional effort to determine their own values in regard to

intimacy and relationships and this process is where the individual focuses on this task

(D’Augelli, 1994).
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Entering a Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual Community is a process which involves entering a

LGB community and finding one’s place within this community, potentially participating in or

committing to political and social action (D’Augelli, 1994). This may never happen for someone

who keeps their identity private, but regardless, it is still important to understand the history and

laws, as well as the social and political barriers that are in place to prevent LGB identified people

from being fully accepted and integrated into our society (D’Augelli, 1994).

Analysis of Situation Utilizing D’Augelli’s Model

Within D’Augelli’s (1994) framework, I would place Brandon within the processes of

developing a LGB intimacy status and entering a LGB community. Brandon once asked me if

those within the community would view him as less “valid” since he has never had a boyfriend,

which I think succinctly encompasses these two processes. His concerns over not fitting into the

traditional mold of a college-aged gay man are typical for Entering a LGB Community, where his

struggles with dating and finding his first boyfriend typify Developing a LGB Intimacy Status.

While Brandon had done research for his Psychology undergraduate degree related to the

LGBTQ+ community, he had very little experience relating one-on-one with other community

members. He was happy to see a gay man working in higher education, and was amazed when I

told him that there are quite a few of us around. This seemed to help him to realize that he could

pursue his dreams without being overly concerned about the impact that his sexual identity may

have on his potential job prospects.

Through our conversations, it was clear Brandon has already worked through the Exiting

Heterosexual Identity, Developing a LGB Identity Status, Becoming a LGB Offspring, and

Developing a LGB Social Status processes. Brandon has discussed his sexual identity with his
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family, has determined what his own personal identity is, and has surrounded himself with

friends and family who love and support him for who he really is. I feel that D’Augelli’s (1994)

model fits Brandon’s development very well. Within this context, I have no criticisms of this

model or its application to Brandon’s development as a gay man.

While it seems almost simplistic on the surface, this model provides much-needed

context for the coming out process. While Brandon and I share the identity of gay, our coming

out stories are very different. My mother and grandmother are both gay, and my mom knew

from a very young age that I was gay as well. I knew, without doubt, that I would be openly

accepted without question. The only struggle I faced was in not wanting to prove my mother

right. Conversely, Brandon had a tougher time in that he was unsure of his family’s reaction and

there was an adjustment period for them to get used to the idea of their son being gay, although

he did not experience extreme negative reactions. Utilizing this model, one can see that my

personal development skipped or slid through a few of the six processes. D’Augelli (1994) left

his model open for individuals to move through the stages in different orders or to never move

through a stage at all, which represents the individuality of the LGBTQ+ community very well.

Implications and Future Considerations

D’Augelli’s (1994) model is one with which I had familiarity before taking this course

through the Safe Zone program at Western Carolina University. While I had developed a basic

working understanding of this model, I feel that reading D’Augelli’s (1994) own words, as

opposed to learning second-hand through my co-facilitators, has helped me to further understand

this model in order to more effectively integrate it into both my future facilitation of Safe Zone

and in my work with the LGBTQ+ population.

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In conclusion, during my many conversations with Brandon, we delved into his sexual

identity most often. D’Augelli’s (1994) Life Span Model of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity

Development provides a framework to contextualize Brandon’s sexual identity development.

While he has worked through four of the six processes, he is still currently working through

Entering a LGB Community and Developing a LGB Intimacy status. While I have previously

learned about D’Augelli’s (1994) model through my role as a Safe Zone facilitator, this paper

has allowed me the opportunity to research the model further and to read the author’s original

words and thoughts on the subject, which has provided me with context that will be useful in my

future work with the Safe Zone program and my work with the LGBTQ+ community.
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References

D’Augelli, A. R. (1994). Identity development and sexual orientation: Toward a model of

lesbian, gay, and bisexual development. In Trickett, A. J., Watts, R. J., & Birman, D.

(Eds.), Human diversity: Perspectives on people in context (pp. 312-333). San Francisco,

CA: Jossey-Bass.

Patton, L. D., Renn, K. A., Guido, F. M., & Quaye, S. J. (2016). Student development in

college: Theory, research, and practice (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.