Interview Guide 1. Age: _____ 2. Sexual orientation Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender M/F Transgender F/M I. Relationships A. Self 1. Are you open about your sexuality? 2. How long have you known/felt your sexual orientation? 3. How did you come up with a realization that you are a lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender? 4. Who did you come out to first? How? 5. Who are you out to? 6. How do you perceive yourself and your sexual orientation? 7. Did social aspects of your life affect the time you became open about your sexuality? 8. How do you describe your role as a son/daughter, brother/sister, friend, boyfriend/girlfriend? 9. How did becoming an LGBT changed your thoughts, feelings and behavior? 10. Have you observed any trait that changed since you became an LGBT? 11. Are you happy with your own sexuality? B. Family 1. How did you open your sexual orientation to your family? 2. How open is your family about your sexual orientation? 3. How is your relationship with your mother, father and siblings? 4. How long did it take them to accept your sexuality? 5. Have you ever felt the need to please them after revealing your sexuality? 6. Has the way you behave change when you are with them? 7. Has the way they treated your changed after they’ve known your sexuality? 8. Who is the closest to you in your family? 9. In general, how would you describe your relationship with your family? 10. How did becoming an LGBT changed your thoughts, feelings and behavior along your family? C. Significant others 1. Is your friendship group Mostly LGBT Mostly Straight Mainly the opposite gender to yourself Mixed LGBT/ Straight Mixed Genders Other (please specify) 2. Aside from your family, who are the significant people in your life? 3. How does your sexuality affect your relationship with these significant people? 4. How open are these significant people about your sexual orientation? 5. How long did it take them to accept your sexuality? 6. How is your relationship with these significant people? 7. Has the way you behave change when you are with them? 8. In general, how would you describe your relationship with these significant people? II. Challenges 1. Have you ever been abused for being who you are? (being on the street/at home etc.) 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Verbally Abused Never Physically Abused Other (please specify) Friends/Family too the piss out of me as a joke What is your favorite part about being a member of the LGBT community? Have you ever experienced any form of social injustice due to your sexuality? Do you feel your essential identity is based on your sexual orientation? Has the way that you’ve been treated in any social aspect, because of your sexuality, at any point in your life caused you to have any sort of suicidal thoughts/attempts? Are there still people in your life that you keep your sexuality from because you are afraid of their response? Are there certain places you avoid going because you feel as if you’re treated differently because of your sexual orientation? Have you ever been verbally assaulted by anyone strictly poking at the fact that you are a different sexuality (using slurs ex: dyke, fag, etc.)? Has the way that someone treats you completely changed when you vocalized your sexuality to them?
