Honour beliefs and identity among British South Asian gay men

Abstract

This chapter focuses on honour beliefs in the British South Asian community and the impact for identity and well-being among British South Asian gay men. Through the lenses of social representations theory and identity process theory from social psychology, it also focuses on the social psychological underpinnings of parental reactions to coming out, which may culminate in honour abuse and forced marriage, and identity and experience among British South Asians who come out as gay. Identity process theory is an integrative social psychological theory of identity construction, threat and coping. The chapter aims to invoke tenets of both social representations theory and identity process theory to illustrate the significance of honour beliefs in the lives of British South Asian gay men. British South Asian gay men may perceive their social, cultural and familial environment to be stigmatising towards homosexuality and, thus, unaccommodating of the sexual identity that they construct.