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Within the framework of the oedipal complex formulated here, a homosexual boy is at a disadvantage in attempting to identify with other men, and is forced into a relationship with his mother that makes separation from her difficult and that may distort his view of femininity. A consideration of the vicissitudes of these difficulties offers a number of insights into the development of the homosexual child. In particular, it sheds light on some problems he may have in consolidating his gender identity, and in attempting to coordinate his masculinity and femininity to pursue a love relationship.
As I hope I have demonstrated, the clarification of these difficulties should be considered an important task for psychotherapists in their work with homosexual men. Clarification of the oedipal dynamics outlined here may coincide with a patient's ability to enjoy more freely intimate relationships with other men, and to renegotiate relationships with significant others, particularly with parents. Simultaneously, it may lead to an ability to traditionally “feminine” impulses less ambivalently, and to experience masculinity more authentically. Further clinical research in this area will be of considerable interest.