Respuesta familiar ante la revelación de la orientación sexual, desde el discurso de hombres homosexuales

Introduction: Homosexuality represents a deviation from the social norms established by a sectorial society which imposes having a mandatory heterosexual pattern. Because of this, having a different sexual orientation implies facing prejudices which have diverse impacts on the family environment. Objective: To know the response of the family environment towards the revelation of the sexual orientation from the perspective of homosexual males. Methods: This is a qualitative and descriptive study with theoretical sampling and key informing, which used semi-structured interviews and observations on five homosexual males from the city of Puebla, Mexico, whose ages ranged from 19 to 36 years old. Results: The findings clustered around a central category: the family response towards having a homosexual member, from which three subcategories emerged: family beliefs, family conflict, and the loss of the heterosexual normativity, reflected by multiple codes classified in the five stages of the process of a loss proposed by Kubler-Ross. Discussion: The family responses towards homosexuality are dynamic and framed by a denial process which eventually can lead to the acceptance. Conclusions: The family responses towards having a member being homosexual are multiple; thus, an understanding of these responses can help nurses and other health professionals to plan activities and strategies aimed at addressing the process of the family loss of the heterosexual normativity.