1st Edition

When Husbands Come Out of the Closet

By Jean Gochros Copyright 1989
    286 Pages
    by Routledge

    284 Pages
    by Routledge

    The discovery that one’s husband is gay or bisexual is a surprise for which most women are totally unprepared. With no guidelines and few professionals able to provide adequate help, both partners, but especially the wives, are apt to feel enormous isolation and confusion. When Husbands Come Out of the Closet, based on the results of a landmark study and years of clinical experience, is a poignant and compassionate look at the conflicting emotions experienced by women who learn of their husbands’homosexuality. Focusing on the wives’perspectives, author Jean Schaar Gochros offers support, encouragement, and practical advice for coping with the stigma, fear, and stress experienced by women trying to cope with their husbands’homosexuality. She addresses the often harmful myths surrounding these wives, husbands, and marriages, and questions the quality of help that women usually receive from friends and professionals alike.

    Combining comprehensive research and personal case histories, she has developed crucial guidelines for helping professionals who counsel such couples. This readable book is informative and fascinating reading for both the professional and lay person.

    Contents Foreword
    • Introduction to the Closet Within a Closet
    • Why Such a Study and Why This Book
    • Introducing the People Who Live in This Closet
    • Emerging Perspectives on Sexual Orientation
    • Coming Out: Disclosures and Reactions
    • Crisis: Coping With and Recovering From
    • The Problems Wives Faced
    • The Search for Help
    • Wives Speak Out
    • Advice to Other Husbands and Wives
    • The Impact of AIDS
    • More Guidelines: For Couples, Children, Helping Professionals, and Concerned Others
    • Comments and Conclusions
    • Appendix
    • Index

    Biography

    Jean Gochros