Sexual and Reproductive Justice and Health Equity for LGBTQ+ Women.

LGBTQ+ women have long been overlooked in sexual and reproductive health research. However, recent research has established that LGBTQ+ women have unique and specific needs that need to be addressed in order to improve effectiveness of sexual health education and practice with this historically and presently underserved population. Informed by a reproductive justice framework coupled with liberation psychology theory, this review discusses the current state of sexual and reproductive health and technologies among LGBTQ+ women. In particular, we focus on a range of HIV prevention and reproductive technologies and their use and promotion, including the internal condom, abortion, oral contraceptives, dapivirine ring, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, intrauterine device, and other less studied options, such as the contraceptive sponge. Grounded in an intersectional framing, this review acknowledges the intersecting systems of oppression that affect multiply marginalized women inequitably and disproportionately. A sociohistorical, critical lens is applied to acknowledge the well-documented racist origins of reproductive health technologies and ongoing coercive practices that have led to medical mistrust among marginalized and stigmatized communities, particularly racialized LGBTQ+ women, women with disabilities, and women who are poor or incarcerated. Moreover, we discuss the urgent need to center LGBTQ+ women in research and clinical care, community-engaged health promotion efforts, affirming non-heteronormative sexual health education, and health policies that prioritize autonomy and dismantle structural barriers for this population. We conclude with recommendations and future directions in this area to remedy entrenched disparities in health.

Queer Peer Crowds on Campus: LGBT Crowd Affiliation as a Critical Correlate of College Students' Loneliness, Academic Well-Being, & Stress.

The current study explored whether affiliating with an LGBT peer crowd on a college campus differentially predicts college adjustment (including loneliness, college belongingness, academic well-being, and stress), as opposed to affiliating with a non-LGBT peer crowd. Based on a sample of 692 students from a small liberal arts college in Southern California, factor and path analyses were carried out. Results indicated that, of all the crowd affiliations, affiliating with an LGBT peer crowd was the strongest predictor of loneliness, academic well-being, and stress. However, affiliating with an LGBT peer crowd was not the strongest predictor of college belongingness. Implications and applications of these results are discussed.