[9] In 2015, the NIH announced the formation of the Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office[10] and numerous professional[11][12] and academic[13][14] institutions have adopted this term.
It includes those who may not self-identify as LGBTI (e.g., queer, questioning, two-spirit, asexual, men who have sex with men, gender variant), or those who have a specific medical condition affecting reproductive development (e.g., individuals with differences or disorders of sex development, who sometimes identify as intersex).
[15] The term sexual minority most likely was coined in the late 1960s under the influence of Lars Ullerstam's book The Erotic Minorities: A Swedish View, which is strongly in favor of tolerance and empathy to paraphilias such as pedophilia and uncommon sexualities in which people were labeled "sex criminals".
[17][18] Scientists such as Ritch Savin-Williams support using the term in order to accurately describe adolescent youths who may not identify as any common culturally defined sexual identity label (lesbian, gay, bisexual, etc.)
This stigma-related stress creates elevated coping regulation and social and cognitive processes leading to risk for psychopathology.
[20] Examples of stigma-related stress that sexual minorities encounter throughout their lives are homophobia, rejection, and discrimination which leads them to having to conceal their identities.
"[2] One small study conducted by American psychologist, Mark L. Hatzenbuehler showed that LGBT adolescents were victimized more often, had higher rates of psychopathology, left home more frequently, used highly addictive substances more frequently, and were more likely to have more multiple sex partners than heterosexual adolescents.
[23] Sexual minority women have a higher incidence of asthma, obesity, arthritis and cardiovascular disease than other groups.
The term symbolic annihilation accounts for their lack of characterization due to not fitting into the white, heterosexual, vanilla type lifestyle.
In music, people like Sam Smith and Sia have created songs that express their emotions and sexuality with a number of followers.
[29] Current and past research has been "skewed toward SM men—and is disproportionately focused on HIV and other sexually transmitted infections."
Others referred to as "sexual minorities" include fetishists and practitioners in of BDSM (bondage, dominance, and submission), and sadism and masochism.
Also, someone who occasionally incorporates of consensual kink[35] or same-sex activity into, heterosexual sex life usually would not be described as a sexual minority.