Abstract
Objective
This study qualitatively examined the experiences and perspectives of adopted teenagers with sexual minority parents with respect to school-based sexuality health education.
Background
Previous research has established that traditional school-based sexuality and reproductive health education curricula are largely heteronormative and cisnormative and fail to reflect the experiences and identities of diverse teenagers from diverse families.
Method
We conducted a thematic analysis of interview data from 43 adopted adolescents in the United States, aged 13 to 18, from sexual minority, two-parent families. Half of participants were LGBQ+, and one fifth were trans/gender diverse.
Results
School-based sexual and reproductive health education was infrequently described as holistic, nuanced, and/or LGBTQ+ inclusive; LGBTQ+ inclusive curricula were mostly recalled by participants in progressive urban areas and/or who attended private schools. Family-building options other than procreative sexual intercourse were rarely discussed in school. Some LGBTQ+ adopted teenagers engaged in advocacy efforts to include sexual and gender identity content in curricula.
Conclusion
Guided by queer family theory, findings reveal insights into the experiences of school-based sexuality and reproductive health education among adolescents whose family diversity is rarely captured in traditional or sexuality-specific school-based education.
Implications
Our findings highlight potential deficiencies experienced by adolescents from diverse families vis-à-vis traditional sexuality education, which holds implications for researchers, practitioners, and educators.