Hannah Novak and Tara McManus (both Communication Studies) published their article "." The study involved in-depth interviews with 15 participants to explore how memorable messages received in Catholic sex education contribute to sexual identity and create identity gaps in participants’ lives. Findings revealed that memorable messages of heteronormativity, abstinence, and message gaps contributed to participants’ experiences of personal-enacted and personal-communal identity gaps. Participants attempted to mitigate identity gaps using several management strategies. Findings contribute to the literature about Catholic sex education and highlight the interconnectedness of memorable messages and identity.
