Hi everyone, I am hearing your concerns! 
For the concern about why still married spouses- this has a lot to do with a decision made by my dissertation committee. However, just today, after carrying out a few interviews with straight spouses, I have made an argument and convinced my advisor to allow me to open up my study to divorced spouses as well. I agree that being divorced can have different implications, and these implications are important! This change takes time, unfortunately. I have to follow IRB protocols, and must ask for a change in my recruitment- this could take 3 to 4 weeks. So for now, I must keep my study to married spouses, but as soon as I am approved, I will be opening up to divorced spouses as well. We do not always get everything right, but I do strive to correct mistakes as quickly as I can. 
Lynne asked if I interviewed my own spouse- I wish I could! However, as a researcher, I do not interview my own family or close friends. This is a practice that is looked down on in academia. 
For Lake's questions- these are all valid concerns and questions! My final write up will disclose that I have come out to my husband, I actually disclose this in the very first sentence of my entire dissertation. I am a very reflexive scholar, and take pride in anyone reading my research understanding my positionally. I try to be as transparent as possible at all times, which is also what I am trying to do here. While my topic was sparked by my own experiences, it is not about me- but I can not say that my experiences do not influence my research. This is why I go through various steps to make sure my findings are valid. For example, I send my findings back to all participants who agree to let me keep their information. My participants then get to read and comment on my findings, telling me if they agree, disagree, or any comment they see fit. I then work with my findings again and continue to send out my findings until my participants feel as though I am writin

This is a great question! In preparing for my dissertation I started seeing patterns in published research on MOMs. The major pattern was to focus on not-straight spouses and to discuss the straight spouse as a passive receiver of information. It is also a pattern in communication field (the field I am working on getting my PHD in) to look only at disclosers of information, and not receivers. Because of these patterns, and from findings in my pilot study, I knew I needed to look at straight spouses. I want to show the academic world that straight spouses and receivers of information are active members in their own lives. I also want to contribute to the MOM community in a meaningful way- and right now, I think straight spouses can use resources. 

Hi everyone, 
My name is Darcy Wente-Hahn, and I am a doctoral candidate at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. You've read a little about me in the above kind introduction by Phoenix. I am working on my dissertation that is exploring mixed orientation marriages. Like Phoenix pointed out, I am specifically interested in the lived experiences of straight spouses. I am honored that I was approved to post my "call for participants" on your forum. I am copying and pasting my IRB approved recruitment script. If you are interested in participating you just need to contact me, and the two of us will come up with a time that is convenient for you. We can schedule a phone call, a Skype call, or another service that makes you most comfortable. Because this is an IRb approved project, your information will remain confidential. I have taken several extra steps to ensure my participants feel comfortable and their identities protected. If you have ANY questions for me, please do not hesitate to ask either here, through a private message, or to my email dhahn@huskers.unl.edu
Thank you to each person who considers participating in my study. My hopes are to contribute both to the academic community, and to your community. 
Here is the recruitment script: 
University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Recruitment Script: Revealing and Concealing Mixed Orientation Marriages
 
My name is Darcy Wente-Hahn, I am a doctoral student in the Communication Studies Department at University of Nebraska- Lincoln. I am conducting research with married couples in which one spouse experiences same-sex attraction and may or may not identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or a self-descriptive term, while the other spouse is heterosexual (Buxton, 2001). The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences, communication, and decisions made around what information to reveal or conceal in these relationships, referred to as a mixed orientation marriages (MOMs).  
 
Participation in this study