Sexual Identity, Sex of Sexual Contacts, and Health-Related Behaviors Among Students in Grades 9–12

Significant health disparities exist between sexual minority and nonsexual minority youth (7,8). More specifically, violence, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy occur more frequently among sexual minority youth than nonsexual minority youth. In addition, some sexual minority youth struggle with stigma, discrimination, family disapproval, and social rejection. However, not enough is known about health-related behaviors that contribute to negative health outcomes among sexual minority youth and how the prevalence of these health-related behaviors compare with the prevalence of health-related behaviors among nonsexual minority youth (8). https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/ss/ss6509a1.htm?c_cid=journal_search_promotion_2018