Experiences with school‐based sexuality education among adopted adolescents with sexual minority parents

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.