Allen B. Mallory

Sex talk is central to sexual and relationship satisfaction in romantic relationships. Building on work conceptualizing sex talk as a dyadic exchange of sexual desires and preferences with long-term implications for well-being, we advance the Supportive Sex Talk Model (SSTM). Integrating goals-based theory with aspects of supportive communication and relational support, the SSTM posits that individual difference in sex talk goals relate to individual differences in sexual and relationship satisfaction—directly and indirectly via source characteristics, such as sexual self-esteem. Using SEM-based actor–partner interdependence models (APIMs) for indistinguishable dyads, 157 romantic couples (N = 314 people) from two U.S. universities reported self-focused approach and avoidance sex talk goals, sexual self-disclosure, sexual self-esteem, and sexual and relationship satisfaction. APIMs showed that self-focused approach goals associated with both partners’ sexual and relationship satisfaction and both partners’ sexual self-esteem; self-disclosure associated with actors’ relationship satisfaction; self-focused avoidance goals negatively associated with partners’ relationship satisfaction. Sexual self-esteem associated with actors’ sexual satisfaction and statistically mediated both actor and partner links between self-focused approach goals and sexual satisfaction. Findings provide preliminary support for the SSTM and highlight possible pathways through which couples’ sex talk goals relate to individual differences in relational well-being.

Cancer is a leading cause of death for both sexually and gender diverse (SGD) and Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) populations. SGD is an inclusive term used to refer to cancer surviv...

The focus of this special issue—volume(issue)—is on the lives and experiences of queer youth. “Queer” here is meant to be inclusive of the wider diversity and overlap of gender, sexual, erotic, and...

Using critical intersectional feminist theorizing, I engage in praxis around reflexive masculinities. I discuss my positionality through my personal lived experiences, professional career in academia, and my political engagement. I start by discussing my positionality related to my race, gender, sexual orientation, and family background, and then turn to how the intersections of privilege and disadvantage played a role in my professional development, research, and politics. Through my reflection, I aim to address sources of knowledge that have been marginalized or made invisible in standard family theorizing regarding masculinity, specifically around queer and Black identities and couples' relationship dynamics.

Discrimination is a risk factor for compromised mental health among sexually diverse people. However, few studies examine the implications of experiencing discrimination tied to multiple identities for sexually diverse adults’ prospective mental health. This study takes an intersectional perspective to investigate how attributing discrimination to multiple identities is related to psychological distress over 2 years. Differences by age cohorts are also examined. Three intersectional hypotheses were tested: the additive hypothesis (i.e., multiple forms of discrimination incrementally worsen mental health), the inuring hypothesis (i.e., discrimination does not worsen mental health beyond one form), and the multiplicative hypothesis (e.g., experiencing two forms of discrimination worsen mental health twice as much as one form). Discrimination and attributions to discrimination were independently associated with baseline psychological distress, supporting the additive hypothesis, whereas the multiplicative hypothesis was supported for changes in psychological distress. Results from this study provide novel information about prospective associations between multiple attributions to discrimination and mental health for sexually diverse adults.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in mental health outcomes of two groups within youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) and who have a substance use disorder (SUD): sexual minority (SM) and heterosexual females. Methods: This study used baseline data from four randomized clinical trials of substance use interventions for YEH with a SUD to examine differences in depression and suicidality between SM and heterosexual female youth. Participants were between 12 and 24 years of age. Meta-analytic methods were used to aggregate data across studies to estimate differences in mental health. Results: Results indicated that female SM-YEH had higher depression symptoms (Hedge's g [g]=0.20; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.01-0.39), higher risk of a history of suicide behavior (risk ratio = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.17-2.27), and a greater number of suicide behaviors (g = 0.31; 95% CI: 0.09-0.54) compared to their heterosexual peers. These effect sizes were not moderated by age. Conclusion: Female SM-YEH had elevated levels of depression and suicidality compared to their heterosexual peers. The findings of this study align with research on mental health disparities between SM and heterosexual youth generally, which underscores the unique struggles and risks associated with identifying as a female SM-YEH with a SUD.

School‐based supports, such as LGBTQ+‐themed curriculum, invite opportunities for challenging oppression with respect to gender and its intersections with other identities such as sexuality and race. However, more understanding is needed regarding how literacy educators might leverage these opportunities. This article describes how intimacy, oppressive actions, and activism functioned in relation to one another in an LGBTQ+‐themed literature course at a grassroots public charter high school for the arts in a mid‐sized Midwestern city. The larger study, from which this article is derived, is a hybrid of ethnography and practitioner inquiry. Therefore, this study draws on field notes, transcribed video recordings of class, transcribed audio recordings of interviews, and student assignments related to a young adult novel. Our analysis of gendered power relations suggests that oppression can hinder intimacy, intimacy can hinder activism, but intimacy can also foster activism. With the goal of leveraging opportunities to challenge gendered oppression, we argue that students and teachers must navigate intimacy and intersecting structures of oppression to enact activism.

Sexual identity development milestones mark the ages at which sexual minority people first experience key developmental events including same-sex attraction, self-realization of a sexual minority identity, same-sex sexual behavior and romantic relationships, and sexual identity disclosure. Most studies of milestones use variable-centered, rather than person-centered approaches, potentially obscuring diversity in patterns across milestones. Using data from The Generations Study, the first national probability sample of White, Black, and Latinx sexual minority adults in the United States (n = 1,492), we examined variability in milestone timing and patterning using a latent profile analysis approach. We identified four distinct profiles, characterized by variability in milestone mean ages, pacing, and sequences: an early adolescence profile (22.9%), a middle adolescence profile (33.6%), a late adolescence profile (27.6%), and an adulthood profile (15.9%). Profiles were demographically distinct, varying by birth cohort, sexual identity, race/ethnicity, gender identity, and childhood gender nonconformity. Results suggest developmental and demographic diversity in the emergence of sexual identity development across the life course, with implications for sexual minority health and thriving.