About this Research Topic

Background

In the last two decades, there has been an increase in the field of gender and LGBTAQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Asexual, Queer) studies across many disciplines, and this has gradually progressed into more nuanced and multifaceted investigations, highlighting the psychological, social and developmental experiences of the LGBTAQ community. These studies have brought to light different issues regarding the well-being, the quality of life and the difficulties that LGBTAQ youth face in many societies and different areas of the world. Early years experiences, the quality of family and social bonds, the development of a positive self-concept and sexual identity, a positive coming-out process, are all conditions that can have a significative impact on the life-satisfaction of LGBTAQ young people.

Moreover, evolutionary psychology and psychobiology theories have tried to give answers on the evolution of different sexual orientations and non-monosexualities. The research, however, is still far from providing effective tools to fully understand and facilitate the psychosexual, physiobiological and social development of LGBTAQ young people, in family, school and work environments. Such as, for example, how can parents operate as a functional instrument to the emergence of a cohesive and confident sexual identity? How can educators and administrators fill the emerging need to live beyond gender binary culture, to promote an inclusive environment from pre-school? How can clinicians, psychologists and therapists overcome the idea of a “normative” sexuality and sexual behavior in order to de-medicalize LGBTAQ identities? How can evolutionary theories offer the the reduction of internalized sexual stigma such as internalised homophobia, biphobia or transphobia?

This Research Topic welcomes papers addressing these and other questions to explicate the current state of the field of LGBTAQ studies, encouraging new research on this relevant topic from psychological, clinical and social perspectives.

Keywords: LGBTAQ youth, Sexual minorities, Sexual development, gender studies, Sexual identities

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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