Jane Likes Girls

Sexuality is complex and often oversimplified. There has been much debate as to whether sexual orientation is, in fact, fixed or fluid. In a study published this year in the Journal of Developmental Psychology, Lisa Diamond sheds new light on the question by making a distinction between one's sexual attractions and one's self-described sexual identity, finding that the former remains stable while the latter is more flexible. Diamond interviewed 80 lesbian, bisexual and unlabeled women and found that while their attractions varied little, their identity was subject to change over time; in fact, 50% of them had changed their sexual identity within two years. Past research suggests that societal prejudice may keep them from creating a stable self-identity. A woman might choose a straight label because of pressure to conform, or eschew a bisexual label because of stigma from both the heterosexual and homosexual communities. Diamond adds that nonheterosexual women are more often attracted to both sexes than to just one sex, indicating that women's sexuality is more fluid than men's.

When we are first introduced to 15-year-old Jane, it's clear that she already feels like she's on the outside looking in, even though she's not yet aware of her lesbian leanings. Upon meeting a new student, Taylor (Jenny O'Hara), Jane feels a connection and attraction that she's never known before. Suddenly, her vague, long-time experience of feeling different makes sense. This discovery supposedly captures the real-life experience of many gays and lesbians who report feeling different prior to adolescence, before they've realized their sexual orientation. "Stage theorists" like Vivienne Cass, Ph.D., and Richard Troiden, Ph.D., two researchers influential in the field of gay and lesbian studies, consider this the first stage of coming out. This is especially true if gay children have interests atypical for societal gender norms. (Of course, not all homosexuals act counter to their gender, a point well made by Jane, who explains to her father [Noah Fleiss], "Now that I'm a lesbian, it doesn't mean I like sports.")

This revelation, however, causes further isolation and identity confusion, as well as fear and anxiety about being unable to live up to society's heterosexual expectations. In the film, we see Jane expressing this uncertainty as she starts to compare herself to her classmates to see where she fits in. She wishes desperately that she had a crush on a boy named Ned, but eventually realizes that her feelings don't match those of her heterosexual friends. Cass, whose model of the coming-out process was published in 1979, labels this second stage of coming out "identity comparison."

Cass' next stage is called "trying on the label," in which people who are coming out are indecisive about defining their identity. The acclimation process is made more difficult by social intolerance. Gay adolescents are often exposed to prejudice, and some may internalize it, prolonging the coming-out process or possibly leading to depression, anxiety, self-loathing, substance abuse or suicide. Substance abuse, especially, can become an easy coping strategy; Jane, for example, at one point sneaks out of her house to drink her frustrations away.

Coming out is especially difficult for teenagers. They run a high risk of committing suicide because they feel isolated, and thus crave approval. Coming out requires the courage to decide how one's sexual identity affects one's life goals, family, religion and general place in the world. Most teens pondering their sexuality will reject the gay label and try to continue to fit into a straight mold because they fear the consequences of coming out.

With family support and a sense of social acceptance, however, the health and psychological risks of coming out can be reduced considerably. In the film, Jane is able to turn to her mother's gay friend, Bobby (RuPaul Charles), as well as a lesbian teacher, Ms. Wilcox (Kelly Rowan), as role models. Both characters help counter the negative societal messages Jane has received about homosexuality, and help her cope with her new feelings. She is further able to gain a sense of belonging by connecting with members of the gay community, notably through PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and by befriending Bobby and Ms. Wilcox.