UC Merced Undergraduate Research Journal

Sexuality is a fundamental part of the human experience. Many individuals have their first sexual encounter as young adults; it is important for them to have access to accurate and relevant sexual information. Traditional sources of sexual education (school and parents) affect sexual outcomes (self-efficacy, sexual health, internalized homophobia) among LGBT+ individuals, compared to alternative sources of sexual education (friends, internet, pornography, apps, media, young adult fiction). Using a mixed-methods approach, twentythree LGBT+ individuals (ages 18-29) completed both a quantitative questionnaire and qualitative interview, which assessed what sources participants employed to learn about sex when growing up, as well as how this impacted current sexual outcomes (sexual health, sexual self-efficacy, internalized homophobia). Traditional sources seemed to do more harm than good, both marginally related with higher levels of internalized homophobia. Pornography was rated highly in helpfulness; however, there was also a relationship between relying on porn for sexual information and poorer sexual health. Relying on friends as a source was shown to be marginally related with higher levels of sexual self-efficacy, but was generally rated low in helpfulness and accuracy. Lastly, the internet has shown to be the most commonly utilized source for LGBT+ participants to learn about sexual information; this source also rated the highest in terms of perceived helpfulness and accuracy. Overall, this study demonstrated a need for more comprehensive LGBT+ content in traditional sex education methods, with participants relying more on alternative sources for their own sexual education.