December 2024
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22 Reads
Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity
Surviving and thriving as a sexual and gender minority in the United States in 2024 is challenging. We are living through a period of increased legal and interpersonal targeting of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual+ community. Informal and formal support resources where providers understand queer community experiences, needs, and rights may mitigate the impacts of ongoing discrimination. However, the queer community is not a monolith. Some orientations, such as asexual and aromantic orientations, are excluded, marginalized, and pathologized both within the queer community and in broader society. These alienating experiences contribute to negative outcomes such as decreased sense of belonging and safety, reluctance to access care, and increased distrust of support-oriented services. Building on personal experience with formal support exclusion, this mixed-method exploratory project investigated the inclusion of aro/ace individuals by 27 queer-focused formal support services. Analysis of web-based content revealed aro/ace erasure and representational rather than meaningful inclusion across two thirds of the organizations. While the remaining organizations’ websites contained instances of meaningful inclusion, they were almost never centrally located. Recommendations to improve welcoming, meaningful inclusion of aro/ace individuals on organizational websites are provided.