Mental health for sexual and gender minority couples and families

The majority of sexual and gender minority (SGM) people want to be in a romantic relationship and desire parenthood in the future. SGM couples and parents often have similar experiences compared to their cisgender heterosexual peers; however, SGM people experience higher rates of mental health challenges. For SGM people, romantic partners buffer the negative impacts of sexual and gender-related stigma, along with providing social support that is lacking from family, friends, and the wider community. According to minority stress theory, sexual and gender-related negative experiences can be detrimental to the well-being of SGM individuals, with particularly distinctive influences on SGM couples and parents. Understanding the couple and co-parenting dynamics and experiences of SGM couples provides great insight into how to improve the mental health outcomes of all SGM people. This chapter will explore the experiences of SGM couples and parents, examine the positive and negative influences on mental health, and discuss ways to improve the experiences of SGM people through the context of romantic and co-parenting relationships.