Sexual minority

The term sexual minority most likely was coined in the late 1960s under the influence of Lars Ullerstam's book The Erotic Minorities: A Swedish View, which is strongly in favor of tolerance and empathy to paraphilias such as pedophilia and uncommon sexualities in which people were labeled "sex criminals".{{cite web|last1=Lattimer|first1=Julia|title=GSM acronym better than LGBT alphabet soup|url=http://www.collegiatetimes.com/opinion/gsm-acronym-better-than-lgbt-alphabet-soup/article_f7a325a4-5acd-11e4-bf0d-001a4bcf6878.html|work=Collegiate Times|date=23 October 2014 |access-date=11 June 2015|archive-date=11 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711095358/http://www.collegiatetimes.com/opinion/gsm-acronym-better-than-lgbt-alphabet-soup/article_f7a325a4-5acd-11e4-bf0d-001a4bcf6878.html|url-status=live}} The term was used as analogous to ethnic minority.{{cite web|last1=DeGagne|first1=Alexa|title=Queering the language of 'sexual minorities' in Canada|url=http://www.congress2013.ca/blog/queering-language-sexual-minorities-canada|work=University of Alberta|access-date=11 June 2015|date=6 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612220449/http://www.congress2013.ca/blog/queering-language-sexual-minorities-canada|archive-date=12 June 2015}}{{cite book|last1=Ullerstam|first1=Lars|title=The Erotic Minorities: A Swedish View|date=1967|publisher=Calder & Boyars |isbn=9780714507910 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=whGGAAAAIAAJ|access-date=12 March 2015|archive-date=23 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323060710/https://books.google.com/books?id=whGGAAAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}

Scientist Ritch Savin-Williams supports using the term in order to accurately describe adolescent youths who may not identify as any common culturally defined sexual identity label but have attractions towards those of the same anatomical sex as themselves.Savin-Williams, Ritch C. "A critique of research on sexual-minority youths." Journal of adolescence 24.1 (2001): 5-13.

Social issues may lead to possible health and psychological issues, especially in youth.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} Sexual minorities face increased stress due to stigma. Stigma-related stress creates elevated coping regulation and social and cognitive processes leading to risk for psychopathology.{{Cite journal|last=Hatzenbuehler|first=Mark L.|date=2009-09-01|title=How does sexual minority stigma "get under the skin"? A psychological mediation framework.|journal=Psychological Bulletin|language=en|volume=135|issue=5|pages=707–730|doi=10.1037/a0016441|issn=1939-1455|pmc=2789474|pmid=19702379}} Examples of stigma-related stress that sexual minorities encounter throughout their lives are homophobia, rejection, and discrimination which may lead them to conceal their identities. Research has shown that about 80% of these people reported harassment.{{cite journal | doi=10.1177/1745691613497965 | title=Minority Stress and Physical Health Among Sexual Minorities | year=2013 | last1=Lick | first1=David J. | last2=Durso | first2=Laura E. | last3=Johnson | first3=Kerri L. | journal=Perspectives on Psychological Science | volume=8 | issue=5 | pages=521–548 | pmid=26173210 | s2cid=24133995 }} These experiences{{Which|reason=we should be clear - what specifically does the reference discuss?|date=February 2025}} increase the chance of developing major depression and generalized anxiety disorder, including an increased chance of drugs and alcohol abuse.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published its 2015 study of large cohorts of ninth to twelfth grade students across the US 100 health behaviors were shown to put LGB students at risk for health consequences. Sexual minority students engage in more risky behaviors when compared with nonsexual minority students. Some students "had no sexual contact [and] were excluded from analyses on sexual behaviors [including] female students who had sexual contact with only females [and] were excluded from analyses on condom use and birth control use..." Also excluded were "male students who had sexual contact with only males [and] were excluded from analyses on birth control use."

Based on studies of adolescents, it is concluded that sexual minorities are similar to heterosexual adolescents in developmental needs and concerns. However, research has suggested that sexual minority youth (more specifically LGBT youth) are more susceptible to psychological and health issues than heterosexual youth.{{Cite journal|last1=Cochran|first1=Bryan N.|last2=Stewart|first2=Angela J.|last3=Ginzler|first3=Joshua A.|last4=Cauce|first4=Ana Mari|date=2002-05-01|title=Challenges Faced by Homeless Sexual Minorities: Comparison of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Homeless Adolescents with Their Heterosexual Counterparts|journal=American Journal of Public Health|volume=92|issue=5|pages=773–777|doi=10.2105/AJPH.92.5.773|pmid=11988446|issn=0090-0036|pmc=1447160}}

Sexual minorities tend to use alternative and complementary medicine as alternative methods of addressing their health needs more often than heterosexuals.{{cite journal | title =Advances in Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Interventions Among Racial, Ethnic, and Sexual Minority Populations | journal = Alcohol Research: Current Reviews | first1 = Arthur W. | last1 = Blume |date = 2016 | volume = 38 | issue =1 | pages = 47–54 | pmc = 4872612 | pmid = 27159811 }} Sexual minority women have a higher incidence of asthma, obesity, arthritis and cardiovascular disease than other groups.{{cite journal|last1=Simoni|first1=Jane M.|last2=Smith|first2=Laramie|last3=Oost|first3=Kathryn M.|last4=Lehavot|first4=Keren|last5=Fredriksen-Goldsen|first5=Karen|title=Disparities in Physical Health Conditions Among Lesbian and Bisexual Women: A Systematic Review of Population-Based Studies|journal=Journal of Homosexuality|volume=64|issue=1|year=2016|pages=32–44|issn=0091-8369|doi=10.1080/00918369.2016.1174021|pmid=27074088|pmc=5063711}}

Adolescent sexual minorities report a higher incidence of the following when compared to heterosexual students:

• having feelings of not being safe travelling to and from school or in school
• not going to school because they did not feel safe.
• being forced to do sexual things they did not want to do by someone they were dating or going out with one or more times during the 12 months (touching, kissing, or physically forced to have sexual intercourse)
• having had sexual intercourse
• having sex for the first time before age 13
• having had sex with at least four other people
• not using birth control
• having had experienced sexual violence

When compared to the general population, sexual minorities have a higher risk for self-injury.{{cite journal|last1=Jackman|first1=Kate|last2=Honig|first2=Judy|last3=Bockting|first3=Walter|title=Nonsuicidal self-injury among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations: an integrative review|journal=Journal of Clinical Nursing|volume=25|issue=23–24|year=2016|pages=3438–3453|issn=0962-1067|doi=10.1111/jocn.13236|pmid=27272643}} The treatment of aging sexual minorities seems to be influenced more by ageism. Support for aging sexual minorities appears to be common.{{cite journal|last1=McParland|first1=James|last2=Camic|first2=Paul M|title=Psychosocial factors and ageing in older lesbian, gay and bisexual people: a systematic review of the literature|journal=Journal of Clinical Nursing|volume=25|issue=23–24|year=2016|pages=3415–3437|issn=0962-1067|doi=10.1111/jocn.13251|pmid=27167408|url=http://create.canterbury.ac.uk/14478/6/14478.pdf|access-date=2019-02-13|archive-date=2018-07-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720115847/http://create.canterbury.ac.uk/14478/6/14478.pdf|url-status=dead}}

{{Globalize|section|date=February 2025}}

When gay, lesbian, and bisexual adults reported being discriminated against, 42 percent credited it to their sexual orientation. This discrimination was positively associated with both harmful effects on quality of life and indicators of psychiatric morbidity.{{Cite journal|last1=Mays|first1=Vickie M.|last2=Cochran|first2=Susan D.|date=2001-11-01|title=Mental Health Correlates of Perceived Discrimination Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults in the United States|journal=American Journal of Public Health|volume=91|issue=11|pages=1869–1876|doi=10.2105/AJPH.91.11.1869|pmid=11684618|pmc=1446893|issn=0090-0036|citeseerx=10.1.1.628.2374}}^{[16-years old]} Furthermore, those who were bisexuals and homosexuals compared to heterosexuals, tended to report to have one of the five psychiatric disorders examined. It was evident that the discrimination these homosexual individuals experienced had a negative impact leading to psychological changes.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

Sexual minorities are generally portrayed in the mass media as being ignored, trivialized, or condemned. The term symbolic annihilation accounts for their lack of characterization due to not fitting into the white, heterosexual, vanilla type lifestyle. It has been suggested that online media has developed into a space in which sexual minorities may use "social artillery". This description centers on how social networking and connections to oppose instances of homophobia.{{Cite journal|last1=PhD|first1=Paul Venzo|last2=PhD|first2=Kristy Hess|date=2013-11-01|title="Honk Against Homophobia": Rethinking Relations Between Media and Sexual Minorities|journal=Journal of Homosexuality|volume=60|issue=11|pages=1539–1556|doi=10.1080/00918369.2013.824318|issn=0091-8369|pmid=24147586|s2cid=37527336}} Still, some individuals have made their way into the media through television and music. Television shows such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Modern Family star individuals who are open about their non-heterosexual lifestyles. In music, people like Sam Smith and Sia have created songs that express their emotions and sexuality with a number of followers. While sexual minorities do have a place in the media, it is often critiqued that they are still limited in their representations. In shows, if a character is gay, they are often a shallow character that is only present for comic relief or as a plot twist. Compared to a heteronormative counterpart, the sexual minority is often a mere side-kick. However, since the integration of actors, musicians, and characters of sexual minorities, the idea of non-normativity has become more normalized in society.{{Cite web|url=https://tcjournal.org/drupal/vol4/bond|title=GLOing Depictions of Sexual Minorities: The Evolution of Gay- and Lesbian-Oriented Digital Media {{!}} Technoculture|website=tcjournal.org|access-date=2016-12-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220050024/https://tcjournal.org/drupal/vol4/bond|archive-date=2016-12-20|url-status=dead}}

Current and past research{{Clarify|reason = into what? By whom?|date=February 2025}} has been "skewed toward SM [sexual minority] men—and is disproportionately focused on HIV and other sexually transmitted infections." From 1989 to 2011, numerous grants for research were sponsored and funded by the US National Institutes of Health but funded research for sexual minorities and health made up 0.1% of all funded studies.{{Contradict-inline|date=February 2025}} Most research has been directed toward gay and bisexual men. Women sexual minority studies accounted for 13.5%.

Sexual minorities in South Africa have sexual-orientation-related health inequities when compared to other countries. One of the higher incidents of sexual violence directed toward women of a sexual minority occurs in South Africa. Women of color who are living in low-income, urban areas notably are targeted. The perpetrators of sexual violence believe that they are "correcting the women" and that their actions will cure them of their homosexuality.{{cite journal|last1=Muller|first1=Alexandra|last2=Hughes|first2=Tonda L.|title=Making the invisible visible: a systematic review of sexual minority women's health in Southern Africa|journal=BMC Public Health|volume=16|issue=1|pages=307|year=2016|issn=1471-2458|doi=10.1186/s12889-016-2980-6 |pmid=27066890|pmc=4827176 |doi-access=free }}

In addition to LGBT, some referred to as "sexual minorities" include fetishists and practitioners in of BDSM (bondage, dominance, and submission), and sadism and masochism. The term may also include asexual,{{cite book|editor1-last=Morrison|editor1-first=Todd G.|editor2-last=Morrison|editor2-first=Melanie A.|editor3-last=Carrigan|editor3-first=Mark A.|editor4-last=McDermott|editor4-first=Daragh T.|title=Sexual Minority Research in the New Millennium|date=2012|publisher=Nova Science Publishers |isbn=978-1-61209-939-2|edition=hardcover, illustrated}}{{cite web |date=March 17, 2023 |title=Understanding the Asexual Community |url=https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-the-asexual-community |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314234721/https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-the-asexual-community |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |access-date=March 17, 2023 |website=HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN |url-status=bot: unknown }} fictosexual{{Cite web |last=Liao |first=SH |title=Fictosexual Manifesto: Their Position, Political Possibility, and Critical Resistance |url=https://vocal.media/humans/fictosexual-manifesto |publisher=NTU-OTASTUDY GROUP |publication-date=2023 |access-date=2023-03-16 |archive-date=2023-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312190313/https://vocal.media/humans/fictosexual-manifesto |url-status=live }} and people whose choice of partner or partners is atypical, such as swingers,{{Cite web |date=2012-01-21 |title=Polyamory Terms |url=https://www.lovingmorenonprofit.org/home/polyamory/terms/ |access-date=2023-03-18 |website=Loving More Nonprofit |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318050137/https://www.lovingmorenonprofit.org/home/polyamory/terms/ |url-status=live }} polyamoristsNichols, Margaret, and Michael Shernoff. "Therapy with sexual minorities." Principles and practice of sex therapy 4 (2000): 353-367. or people in other non-monogamous relationships, and those who have partners significantly older or younger than themselves.{{cite book|last1=Altair|first1=Octaevius|title=The Violators: No Human Rights for You (Canada)|date=2011|isbn=9781257378012|page=11|publisher=Lulu.com |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eRrLAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA11|access-date=12 March 2015|quote=The rights of youth must be protected as well as the rights of Atheists and Sexual minorities. As a Homophile and hebiphile. I engage is sic recreational sex exclusively with teenagers.|archive-date=23 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323060656/https://books.google.com/books?id=eRrLAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA11|url-status=live}}

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• Sexuality and gender identity-based cultures
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