Taylor & Francis GroupJun 17 2024
"The exclusion of LGBTQ+ students from the curricula may contribute to poor health outcomes in LGBTQ+ youth, with some research beginning to document these experiences and provide recommendations for curricula changes," explains lead author Steven Hobaica, a clinical psychologist and Research Scientist at The Trevor Project, whose mission is to end suicide among LGBTQ+ young people.
"LGBTQ+ youth expressed a strong desire to learn more about topics related to their sexual orientation and gender identity, highlighting a critical gap in existing curricula," says co-author Dr. Erica Szkody, who is a Postdoctoral Research Associate, at the Lab for Scalable Mental Health, at Northwestern University.
Another added: "I wish others understood that while the anatomy-related knowledge is important, we need sexual education that is relevant to today's world. This involves sexual education dangers and safety on the Internet, relations, and education geared towards attraction and feelings rather than a lesson only heterosexual procreation. I wish they took our real-life experiences and insecurities into account.