Reading the script

This article investigates how the process of coming out as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) is represented both on internet sites and in paper pamphlets offering advice. The analysis of the texts makes use of script formulation theory, as developed by Edwards (1994, 1995, 1997, 2004), and reveals a degree of interdiscursivity between the texts, in that coming out is scripted with a high level of homogeneity. A number of different scripts relating to coming out are identified and consideration is given to the rhetorical functions performed by these particular scripts. It is argued that the selection, elaboration, support and opposition of particular scripts formulates coming out as a rational, positive and emancipatory action for an LGB individual to undertake. Moreover, the writers present coming out as an ordered and predictable event, which functions to persuade the reader that coming out is an achievable and attainable objective.