Sex Therapy and the LGBTQ+ Community

Couples and sex therapy were associated with heteronormativity in the sense that this type of therapy was only available for straight couples who were having marital issues. However, actual sex therapy is contingent on inclusivity and should be easily accessible to individuals of all gender orientations and sexualities. Sex therapy can be helpful for individuals of all gender orientations and sexualities too. Some ways in which a gay sex therapist could help those of us in the community could surround individual or relationship issues. Individuals in the LGBTQ+ community have to deal with problems that could arise from their daily lives and sometimes have to deal with societal and cultural stigmas; as a result of resulting from issues a gay sex therapist can help with, I think it’s essential to make space for the history of sex therapy and the LGBTQ+ community because of the injustices that have occurred as a result of societal discrimination and unacceptance of non-heterosexual identities and gender expression outside the cis binary.

History of Sex Therapy and LGBTQ+ Community

Sex therapy was not always readily available to or accessible to individuals within the LGBTQ+ community because identities that did not conform to heteronormative standards were not seen as acceptable. Good Therapy notes that “early editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) identified homosexuality as a mental disorder, until clinical research demonstrated sexual or romantic attraction to someone of the same gender is a normal, healthy, positive form of human sexuality.” (good therapy) One version of therapy that emerged out of this harmful ideolgoy was that of conversion or reparation therapy. This type of therapy is “a range of dangerous and discredited practices that falsely claim to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.” (hrc.org) The practice of conversion therapy is a horrible injustice that members of the LGBTQ+ community have been forced to undergo as a result of discrimination and “broader research clearly demonstrates the significant harm that societal prejudice and family rejection has on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people, particularly youth.” (hrc.org) In this sense, it’s essential to validate and understand the complex relationship between therapy and the LGBTQ+ community. Any trusted health proffesional should “oppose sexual orientation change therapy, also known as conversion or reparative therapy, and many states either have banned the practice or are considering bills to ban the practice, particularly for minors.” (good therapy)

Case Study Examples

Good Therapy provided us with an excellent source for some case study examples in which a gay sex therapist could help the outlined patient! Reviewing case studies is an excellent resource if you’re trying to figure out if an LGBTQ sex therapist could help you. The following case study and more can be found on goodtherapy.com:

“Anxiety and confusion over sexual orientation: Sonja, 32, enters therapy for anxiety and identifies ambivalence about her sexual orientation as a major factor. While Sonja has always been attracted to women, she is also sometimes attracted to men, and she feels she is betraying her current partner, a woman, by even considering such thoughts. She is confused about her true orientation. The therapist assures her she needn’t label herself one way or the other, and explores with her, in a neutral, accepting manner, the nature of her attractions, her desires for the future in terms of relationships, her emotions about her current partner, and her desire—which Sonja somewhat guiltily reveals—to bear a child. After several months, Sonja decides she could consider dating men someday, but she’s still quite attached to her current partner, and, in joint sessions, the couple begins discussing the possibility of Sonja becoming pregnant by artificial insemination.”

If you’re a part of or exploring the possibility of becoming a part of the LGBTQ+ community and think an LGBTQ+ certified sex therapist can help you, feel free to check us out at Respark!

By: Alyssa Morterud