Originally published in 1990, Gay and Lesbian Youth: Expressions of Identity, reissued here with a new preface, addresses self-esteem in gay and lesbian adolescents and challenges the idea that this is lower than in the ‘normal’ adolescent. First, theoretical positions on self-esteem and coming out among gay men and lesbians, and the empirical evidence for these assumptions, are reviewed. These are followed by discussion of the author’s study on self-esteem and coming out in a sample of gay and lesbian youths. The study was unique at the time because of the adolescent population studied and the attention it gave to variations within the gay and lesbian sample. Today it can be read in its historical context.