LGBTQ+ students of colour and their experiences and needs in sexual health education: ‘You belong here just as everybody else’

ABSTRACT

There is growing consensus that sexual health education should be inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning students, and students of various identities on the spectrums of sexuality and gender (LGBTQ+). However, to date, the perspectives of LGTBQ+ teenagers of colour remain under-investigated. Twenty-five in-depth interviews were conducted in 2017–2018 in New York City with LGBTQ+ high school students of colour. Thematic analysis was used to conceptualise the barriers LGBTQ+ students of colour face in learning about sexual health education in school. Students were Latino/a/x (n = 15), non-Latino Black (n = 8), or Asian (n = 2) and self-identified in varied ways in terms of sexuality and gender. Students reported receiving inadequate sexual health education in school due to feeling: 1) unrepresented, 2) unsupported, 3) stigmatised, and 4) bullied. Students filled needed gaps by seeking information and support from external sources. Many students proposed institutional changes or shifts in the school environment to address identified issues, including modifying curricula to incorporate information about consent, mental health and pronouns from the viewpoints of LGBTQ+ teenagers, and to highlight the role of culture, religion and race/ethnicity to represent different experiences. Incorporating the unique experiences of LGBTQ+ students of colour is needed to ensure that all students receive relevant sexual health education.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexual health education
• LGBTQ
• gender identity
• sexual minorities
• adolescents
• USA

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support of Bronx Neighborhood Health Action Center leadership, the New York City Teens Connection director and staff, NYC community-based organisations and schools, and the LGBTQ+ young people who generously gave their time and shared their experiences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Disclaimer

This research builds on the expertise of New York City Teens Connection (NYCTC), funded by Cooperative Agreement Number TP1AH000098-01 from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Adolescent Health (OAH). Contents herein are solely the responsibility of NYCTC/NYC DOHMH and do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the US Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices or organisations imply endorsement by the US Government.

Notes

1. A champions refers to individual staff at partner organisations who shared information about the study through emails, posted and disseminated flyers, and personally invited eligible young people to participate.

2. Transfer high schools are small public schools in the NYC school district, designed to re-engage students who are behind in credits, are learning English, are interested in special programming or have never been to high school.

3. See https://gaycenter.org/family-youth/youth/

4. See https://www.boomhealth.org/

5. See https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/neighborhood-health/new-york-city-teens-connection.page

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by funding from the New York City Tax Levy.