Identity Through Images: How Gay and Lesbian Youth Depict their Self-Representation

Abstract

Identity is a social process that depicts the way in which we narrate ourselves and our worlds; it demonstrates the different groups that we belong to and has been studied through linguistic expressions. Images have become extremely common in our ONlife era, as they are constantly shared in many areas of contemporary life, and thus, are central in mediating identity construction and meaning-making. Research on lesbian and gay (LG) identity has focused on verbal rather than iconic expressions, ignoring fundamental aspects of LG youth’s lives. This study draws on a photo-elicitation study with LG Mexican youth and aims to analyze the imagery they provided. The 14 participants were asked to share and interpret an image that, for them, represented their identity. We applied Morriñá’s three-stages of image analysis to deduce the meanings of those images. This included analyzing the image, along with a description of the image provided by the participant who shared it. Results reveal four main themes that do not appear in discursive, narrative or verbal analysis of identity: selfies, the power of collectivity, intimacy, and the simple complexity of the rainbow. These themes suggest that LG Mexican youth are reliant on different social groups to develop their identity. These youth understand their identities as a source of pride, courage, and political resistance that allows them to make their sexuality and gender socially visible to achieve their authenticity. It is important to continue this line of research with broader samples of participants to expand images’ analytical and mediating power.