Sexual minority individuals (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual people) face sexual health inequalities related to their experiences with providers in sexual health care settings, yet few prior studies have focused on these experiences. In the current study, we analyzed qualitative interviews with a diverse sample of 58 sexual minority individuals from three age cohorts in the United States to explore sexual minority people's perspectives of sexual health care. Thematic content analysis revealed four key themes: erasure, enacted stigma, felt stigma, and affirmative care. Subgroup differences in themes across gender, sexual identity, race/ethnicity, and age cohort were also assessed. Women and genderqueer participants reported erasure in the context of identity dismissal in family planning conversations, and men reported felt stigma in the context of hyperawareness of sexual minority identity. Some sexual minority people of color also reported intersectional felt stigma as a result of multiple marginalized identities. Additionally, fewer men reported erasure compared to women or genderqueer people and fewer gay and lesbian participants reported erasure than bisexual or queer people. Implications of these findings include the need for more sexual minority health care initiatives and training and the development of affirmative care practices for sexual minority populations, including those with multiple marginalized identities.
Keywords: Bisexual; Erasure; Gay; Health disparities; Lesbian; Sexual health; Stigma.