UC Riverside

Sexual minority spaces, or safe spaces for sexual minority people, have long been theorized to promote many positive outcomes for sexual minority people. Sexual minority spaces may promote identity development, provide space to develop sexual minority community, and act as identity-congruent spaces that promote person-environment fit. Despite these potential benefits, limited research has examined the direct relationship between sexual minority spaces and well-being for sexual minority people. Further, though research examines some sexual minority spaces, such as gay bars, no research has examined how people perceive sexual minority spaces, and no research has examined specific perceptions of sexual minority spaces based on sexual identity labels (e.g., lesbian spaces). The present research examined what constitutes a sexual minority space, for multiple sexual identity labels, and then examined how these spaces relate to sexual minority people’s well-being. Study 1 first found which spaces and attributes of spaces are considered sexual minority spaces, and which attributes and places were associated with each sexual identity. Though there was considerable overlap between types of spaces, many novel spaces and attributes also emerged for each type of sexual minority space. Study 2 then used these attributes and spaces to find that sexual minority spaces and attributes relate positively to belonging and well-being, though there was considerable nuance across the models. Finally, Study 3 found that at the regional level, more sexual minority spaces and attributes related to lower anxiety and depression for sexual minority adults, but not youth. Overall, this research provides further insight into sexual minority spaces and sexual minority well-being, showing that these spaces and attributes relate to more positive outcomes for sexual minority people.