Hegemonic Masculinity During Parent-Child Sex Communication with Sexual Minority Male Adolescents

Abstract

There is little knowledge about how sexual minority youth are educated at home about their future sexual selves. To identify the macro level factors that impact these home-based discussions, we interviewed 30 adolescent males who identified as gay, bisexual, or queer. Our findings show that ecological factors sometimes support the inclusion of sexuality-sensitive information, yet also reaffirm gendered and heteronormative structures. Throughout all the ecological levels examined, there are dual and discrepant ways siblings, peers, schools, mass media, religion, and the overall culture reinforces hegemonic masculinities during sex talks at home.

Keywords:

• Parent-child sex communication
• parenting
• gay
• bisexual
• and queer youth
• safer sex
• young men who have sex with men

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the National Institute of Health [F31NR015013] and supplementary funding from the Surgeon General C. Everett Koop HIV/AIDS Research Award. The funding sources had no involvement in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, write-up, or any decisions regarding the publication of results.