Relationship Functioning of Sexual Minority People of Color

Over the past 10 years, research on sexual minority (SM) or same-sex/gender couples has increased. However, this research has largely reflected White SM couples’ experiences via majority White SM participant samples. To highlight the dearth of scholarship on Sexual Minority People of Color (SMPOC) in relationship research, this article provides a review and critique of the empirical literature from January 2010 to June 2020 on the factors associated with romantic relationship functioning among SMPOC. Studies were included for review if they focused on aspects of relationship functioning among SMPOC by centering one racial or ethnic minority population (n = 5) or by utilizing a sample that consisted of 39.9% (U.S. population rate) of racial and ethnic minority participants (n = 10). In total, 15 articles met the inclusion criteria for this review, representing 4.1% of the literature on relationship quality among SM couples. Similar to the research of predominately White SM couples, studies featuring SMPOC indicated high functioning and satisfying romantic relationships, although their dual marginalization required them to navigate unique experiences and challenges. Researchers and practitioners need to account for the role that cultural values, norms, relationships. Limitations, clinical implications, and recommendations for future research are discussed.