Navigating Sexual Health and Gender Identity in Homeschooling Contexts: A Qualitative Study of Lived Experiences

Abstract Introduction Homeschooling has expanded rapidly in the United States over the past two decades and even more so in the post-COVID era. Yet little research has examined its implications for sexual and reproductive health education or gender identity development. Existing scholarship primarily centers parental motivations, leaving the lived experiences of homeschooled youth largely unexplored. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted between April and May of 2025 with 32 adults who were homeschooled during childhood and adolescence. Data were analyzed using Constructivist Ground Theory (CGT) to theorize sexual health education, healthcare navigation, and gendered educational experiences in homeschooling communities. Results Findings indicate that many participants experienced limited or inconsistent access to evidence-based sexual health information, particularly within conservative or religious homeschooling environments. Participants frequently described delayed healthcare engagement, reliance on informal information sources, and gendered expectations that shaped both educational content and identity development. Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) participants reported heightened barriers related to stigma and isolation. Conclusions These findings underscore a critical gap in public health research and practice within homeschooling research and highlight the need for culturally responsive interventions to support equisexual health education and healthcare access for homeschooled populations. Policy Implications Future policy efforts should address the absence of standardized sexual health education benchmarks in homeschooling contexts and the limited public accountability mechanisms for ensuring equihealth literacy outcomes across education modalities.