Perceived psychosocial impacts of legalized same-sex marriage: A scoping review of sexual minority adults’ experiences

Abstract

A growing body of literature provides important insights into the meaning and impact of the right to marry a same-sex partner among sexual minority people. We conducted a scoping review to 1) identify and describe the psychosocial impacts of equal marriage rights among sexual minority adults, and 2) explore sexual minority women (SMW) perceptions of equal marriage rights and whether psychosocial impacts differ by sex. Using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework we reviewed peer-reviewed English-language publications from 2000 through 2019. We searched six databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, JSTOR, and Sociological Abstracts) to identify English language, peer-reviewed journal articles reporting findings from empirical studies with an explicit focus on the experiences and perceived impact of equal marriage rights among sexual minority adults. We found 59 studies that met our inclusion criteria. Studies identified positive psychosocial impacts of same-sex marriage (e.g., increased social acceptance, reduced stigma) across individual, interpersonal (dyad, family), community (sexual minority), and broader societal levels. Studies also found that, despite equal marriage rights, sexual minority stigma persists across these levels. Only a few studies examined differences by sex, and findings were mixed. Research to date has several limitations; for example, it disproportionately represents samples from the U.S. and White populations, and rarely examines differences by sexual or gender identity or other demographic characteristics. There is a need for additional research on the impact of equal marriage rights and same-sex marriage on the health and well-being of diverse sexual minorities across the globe.

Sexual Minority Orientation Is Associated With Greater Psychological Impact Due to the COVID-19 Crisis—Evidence From a Longitudinal Cohort Study of Young Swiss Men

“…Services offering psychological support or counseling to sexual minorities may need to be reinforced during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Mitigating minority stress by reducing social or internalized stressors, for example improved sex education in school, abolishing discriminating laws (e.g., by recognizing same-sex unions), and by bolstering sexual minorities' stress coping resources (23,(73)(74)(75)(76)(77)(78) may help to improve mental health among important proportions of the population and also to reduce their vulnerability to crises. The present study analyzed differences in the short-term consequences of the COVID-19 crisis.…”

Sexual orientation discrimination in the labor market against gay men

“…A backlash has traditionally been described as a reaction by members of dominant groups to any challenge to their values or status in which they seek to stop change (Drabble et al 2021;Encarnación 2020;Bishin et al 2016;Culhane and Sobel 2013). In Greece, no quantitative studies evaluate whether the public turns against policies in response to the LGBTIQ+ group's attempt to advance its agenda.…”

“…Changes in legislation are likely to impact social attitudes (Drabble et al 2021). Possible effects could range from actions to rescind rights to the potential expansion of rights (Drabble et al 2021).…”

“…Changes in legislation are likely to impact social attitudes (Drabble et al 2021). Possible effects could range from actions to rescind rights to the potential expansion of rights (Drabble et al 2021). In Greece, the legalization of same-sex partnerships in 2015 might have caused a negative reaction that adversely affected gay men.…”

Father’s Role in Parenting: A Case Study From Gay Student Perception

“…Kondisi kurangnya pengasuhan ayah dan dominannya peran ibu memperkuat risiko kebingungan identitas gender yang terjadi pada mahasiswa gay. Kata kunci: Mahasiswa Gay, Pengasuhan, Peran Ayah, Identitas Gender Each year, the phenomenon of homosexuality worldwide continues to increase, leading to the legalization of samesex marriage in various countries (Drabble et al, 2021). Consequently, in 2019, a global survey showed that 94% of Swedes state that homosexuality should be accepted.…”