Re-examining Stage-based Models of Queer Identity Formation: A Critical Review

Abstract

This literature review critically examines stage-based models of queer identity formation, analyzing their theoretical foundations and limitations within contemporary LGBTQ+ scholarship. While early models such as Cass and Troiden’s models provided structured frameworks for understanding sexual and gender identity development, they have increasingly been critiqued for their reliance on linear progression, binary thinking, and Western individualistic assumptions. By analysing 114 articles on queer identity formation, this review chronologically addresses the major stage-based models of queer identity. The paper also synthesizes critiques by prominent researchers in the field, who challenge the applicability of stage-based approaches in capturing the fluidity and cultural uniqueness of queer identity formation in our contemporary world. This paper highlights the need for newer gender affirming and culturally sensitive theoretical models of queer identity formation that will help add substantial literary development to our ongoing understanding of queer identities.