A sexual minority is a group whose sexual identity, orientation or practices differ from the majority of the surrounding society. Primarily used to refer to lesbian, gay, bisexual, or non-heterosexual individuals, it can also refer to transgender, non-binary (including third gender) or intersex individuals.

Variants include GSM ("Gender and Sexual Minorities"), GSRM ("Gender, Sexual and Romantic Minorities"), and GSD (Gender and Sexual Diversity). They have been considered in academia, but it is SGM ("Sexual and Gender Minority") that has gained the most advancement since 2014. In 2015, the NIH announced the formation of the Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office and numerous professional and academic institutions have adopted this term.

Sexual and gender minority is an umbrella term that encompasses populations included in the acronym "LGBTI" (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex), and those whose sexual orientation or gender identity varies. 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).

Origins 
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". The term was used as analogous to ethnic minority.

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.) but who still have attractions towards those of the same anatomical sex as themselves.

Associated health and social issues

Stress
Social issues may lead to possible health and psychological issues, especially in youth. It has been found that sexual minorities face increased stress due to stigmas. This stigma-related stress creates elevated coping regulation and social and cognitive processes leading to risk for psychopathology. 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. Research has shown that about 80% of these individuals reported to have been harassed. These types of negative experiences increase the chance of them developing major depression and generalized anxiety disorder, including an increased chance of drugs and alcohol consumption.

Risky behavior
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published its 2015 study of large cohorts of ninth to twelfth grade students across the U.S. 100 health behaviors were shown to put LGBT students at risk for health consequences. Sexual minority students engage in more risky behaviors when compared with nonsexual minority students. Some students "had no sexual contact [and] were excluded from analyses on sexual behaviors [including] female students who had sexual contact with only females [and] were excluded from analyses on condom use and birth control use..." Also excluded were "male students who had sexual contact with only males [and] were excluded from analyses on birth control use." 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.

Development
Based on studies of adolescents, it is concluded that sexual minorities are similar to heterosexual adolescents in developmental needs and concerns. However, research has suggested that sexual minority youth (more specifically LGBT youth) are more susceptible to psychological and health issues than heterosexual youth.

Epidemiology
Sexual minorities tend to use alternative and complementary medicine as alternative methods of addressing their health needs more often than heterosexuals. Sexual minority women have a higher incidence of asthma, obesity, arthritis and cardiovascular disease than other groups.

Adolescent sexual minorities report a higher incidence of the following when compared to heterosexual students:
 having feelings of not being safe travelling to and from school or in school
 not going to school because they did not feel safe.
 being forced to do sexual things they did not want to do by someone they were dating or going out with one or more times during the 12 months (touching, kissing, or physically forced to have sexual intercourse)
 having had sexual intercourse
 having sex for the first time before age 13
 having had sex with at least four other people
 not using birth control
 having had experienced sexual violence

When compared to the general population, sexual minorities have a higher risk for self-injury. The treatment of aging sexual minorities seems to be influenced more by ageism. Support for aging sexual minorities appears to be common.

Discrimination
When gay, lesbian, and bisexual adults reported being discriminated against, 42 percent credited it to their sexual orientation. This discrimination was positively associated with both harmful effects on quality of life and indicators of psychiatric morbidity. Furthermore, those who were bisexuals and homosexuals compared to heterosexuals, tended to report to have one of the five psychiatric disorders examined. It was evident that the discrimination these homosexual individuals experienced had a negative impact leading to psychological changes.

In the media 
Sexual minorities are generally portrayed in the mass media as being ignored, trivialized, or condemned. The term symbolic annihilation accounts for their lack of characterization due to not fitting into the white, heterosexual, vanilla type lifestyle. It has been suggested that online media has developed into a space in which sexual minorities may use "social artillery". This description centers on how social networking and connections to oppose instances of homophobia. Still, some individuals have made their way into the media through television and music. TV shows such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Modern Family star individuals who are open about their non-heterosexual lifestyles. In music, people like Sam Smith and Sia have created songs that express their emotions and sexuality with a number of followers. While sexual minorities do have a place in the media, it is often critiqued that they are still limited in their representations. In shows, if a character is gay, they are often a shallow character that is only present for comic relief or as a plot twist. Compared to a heteronormative counterpart, the sexual minority is often a mere side-kick. However, since the integration of actors, musicians, and characters of sexual minorities, the idea of non-normativity has become more normalized in society.

Cultural issues
Current and past research has been "skewed toward SM men—and is disproportionately focused on HIV and other sexually transmitted infections." From 1989 to 2011, numerous grants for research were sponsored and funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) but funded research for sexual minorities and health made up 0.1% of all funded studies. Most research has been directed toward gay and bisexual men. Women sexual minority studies accounted for 13.5%.

Sexual minorities in South Africa have sexual-orientation-related health inequities when compared to other countries. One of the higher incidents of sexual violence directed toward women of a sexual minority occurs in South Africa. Women of color who are living in low-income, urban areas notably are targeted. The perpetrators of sexual violence believe that they are "correcting the women" and that their actions will cure them of their homosexuality.

Controversy 

Most LGBT people object to using the term sexual minorities and prefer the term LGBT. Reasons for these objections may vary. For example, LGBT people may feel that the term sexual minority reminds them about experiencing discrimination and about being a minority. They want to be not a distinct minority but an integral and respectable part of the society. Other LGBT people dislike the term for being too inclusive, including swingers, polyamorists, BDSM people and other perceived "sexual strangers". In other words, they want to make a clear distinction between these sexual practices and bisexuality/homosexuality/transgender to avoid misconception.

Some transgender and transsexual people dislike the term sexual minority for other reasons. They argue that the phenomenon of transsexuality or transgender has nothing to do with sex, sexual practices or sexual orientation, but it relates to the gender, gender dysphoria and gender-variant behavior or feelings. Thus, they feel it is incorrect to classify them as "sexual minority", when, in fact, they are gender-variant minority.

Some conservative groups oppose the use of the term sexual minority for completely different reasons. They think or feel that the term inherently implies some degree of legalization or protection for those engaged in such sexual practices, much like ethnic minorities are protected from being discriminated or persecuted in modern democratic countries.

Most people dislike the term because it includes the word "minority". They also argue that not all these categories are entirely about minorities but about minorized groups.

Others referred to as "sexual minorities" include fetishists and practitioners in of BDSM (bondage, dominance, and submission), and sadism and masochism. The term may also include asexual, fictosexual and people whose choice of partner or partners is atypical, such as swingers, polyamorists or people in other non-monogamous relationships, and those who have partners significantly older or younger than themselves. It may also refer to people who are in a interracial relationship.

Usually, the term sexual minority is applied only to groups who practice consensual sex: For example, it would be unusual to refer to rapists as a sexual minority, but the term generally could include someone whose sexuality gave a major, fetishized role to consensual playing out of a rape fantasy. Also, someone who occasionally incorporates of consensual kink or same-sex activity into, heterosexual sex life usually would not be described as a sexual minority.

See also 

 Aromanticism
 Alt porn
 Ascribed characteristics
 Bisexual community
 Human male sexuality
 Human sexuality
 Minority group
 Queer
 Sexual minorities in Japan
 Sexual minorities in Sri Lanka
 Sexuality and gender identity-based cultures
 Sociosexual orientation
 Tamil sexual minorities

Explanatory notes

References

External links 
 

LGBT
Minorities
Sexuality and society
Social groups
성소수자(性少數者, )는 트랜스젠더, 양성애자, 동성애자, 무성애자, 범성애자, 젠더퀴어, 간성, 제3의 성 등을 포함하며 성정체성, 성별, 신체상 성적 특징 또는 성적 지향 등과 같이 성적인 부분에서 사회적 소수자의 위치에 있는 이를 말한다. 

성소수자는 매우 포괄적인 용어이지만, 워낙 다양한 성소수자 집단이 존재하는 관계로 그와 유사하게 사용하거나 하위 집단을 일컫는 다양한 용어와 신조어들이 존재한다. LGBT는 레즈비언(Lesbian), 게이(Gay), 양성애자(Bisexual), 트랜스젠더(Transgender)를 함께 일컬어 부르는 단어이다. 성소수자 운동에서 가장 주류적으로 사용되는 용어이나, 수용성이 제한적이기 때문에 비판의 대상이 되기도 한다. 성소수자 권리 운동 초기에는 레즈비언과 게이만 일컫는 레즈비게이(Lesbigay)로, 거기에 양성애자도 더한 LGB로 불리었으나, 90년대 이후 트랜스젠더도 포함된 LGBT가 되었다. 21세기 들어서 아직 자신의 성정체성이나 성적 지향에 의문을 가지고 있는 사람들을 일컫는 퀘스쳐너(Questioner)와 간성(Intersex), 무성애자(Asexual), 범성애자(pansexual)까지 더해 LGBTQIAP라고 부르고 있다. 인도 등 남아시아에서는 히즈라를 H로 표기하여 포함하기도 한다. 

또 다른 대안적 단어인 퀴어(Queer)는 원래 "이상한", "색다른" 등을 나타내는 말이었고 성소수자에 대한 비하명칭으로도 쓰였으나, 지금은 성소수자가 의미를 전복하여 스스로를 표현하는 단어로도 쓰이고 있다.

어원 
성소수자(Sexual minority)라는 단어는 1960년대 스웨덴 정신의학자인 랄스 울레르스탐의 저서 《The Erotic Minorities: A Swedish View》에서 사용한 성애소수자(Erotic minority)에서 유래한다. 이후 '성소수자'는 소수민족이란 단어와 유사하게 사용되었다.

소수자라는 단어가 포함되어있어, 사회에서 다수가 아닌 성적지향 또는 성정체성을 지닌 소수 집단을 일컫는것으로 오해하기 쉽지만, 여기서 말하는 소수자는 사회에 의해 소수화된, 비주류화된 사람들을 일컫는다.

건강과 사회 문제

스트레스 
사회적 쟁점 사안들은 신체적 그리고 정신적 건강에, 특히 유소년들에게 큰 영향을 끼칠 수 있다. 성소수자들은 사회 낙인 효과
로 인해 증가한 사회적 스트레스를 마주하고 있는 것으로 밝혀졌다. 이러한 사회 낙인 효과로 인한 대처 규정이나 사회 및 인지 과정의 부재로 성소수자들은 정신병리학적 위기에 노출되어 있다.

자신의 정체성이 자신의 의견을 떠나서 다른 사람에 의하여 알려지는 것을 아웃팅이라고 하며 이는 소수자들에게 심각한 정신적인 스트레스를 줄 수 있다.

차별 
동성애자나 양성애자 성인이 실생활에서 차별을 마주했을 때 약 42%의 경우에서 자신들의 성적 지향 때문인 것으로 풀이하였다. 성소수자에 대한 차별은 성소수자 개인의 삶의 질과 정신의학적 건강에 큰 피해를 끼치는 것으로 나타났다.

항문 성교를 행하는 남성 동성애자들을 가리켜 똥꼬충이라고 혐오하는 등 다양한 성소수자 경멸어가 존재한다.

2016년에 미국 물리학회(American Physics Society)는 LGBT가 아닌 과학자들에 비해서 LGBT과학자들이 더 어려운 직업 경험을 가지게 된다는 조사 결과를 발표했다. 또한 많은 과학을 공부하는 LGBT학생들이 공부하는 과정에서 (LGBT 학생들이 겪지 않는) 사회적 장벽을 만날 가능성이 크고, LGBT가 아닌 학생들보다 전공 과목을 과학 외의 주제로 바꿀 가능성이 크다는 연구 결과가 존재한다.

논란 
소수자라는 단어에 대한 반감 때문에 LGBT나 퀴어라는 단어를 선호하는 사람들이 존재한다. 하지만 반대로 LGBT란 단어가 레즈비언, 게이, 양성애자, 트랜스젠더가 아닌 다른 성소수자들을 수용하지 못하기 때문에 성소수자라는 단어만 사용하는 사람들도 있다.

넓은 의미에서는 성소수자를 BDSM, 합의된 성적 페티시즘, 폴리아모리 등을 포함한 용어로 사용하기도 하며, 복혼이나 비단혼적적 관계, 나이차가 큰 관계, 타인종간 관계를 맺고 있는 커플 등 통념적인 성 인식과는 차이가 있는 소수자들을 부르는 용어로도 사용한다. 좁은 의미로는 성 소수자라는 단어를 성별 지향과 성 정체성, 신체적 또는 생물학적 성으로 한정하여 사용한다.

상호간 사전동의하에 이루어진 성적 및 구애적 관계를 맺는 사람에게 한해서만 성소수자로 말하며, 강간이나 아동 성추행은 이에 포함되지 않는 범죄로 분류된다. 소아성애자, 시체성애자, 수간자 등 윤리적으로 문제가 있는 경우는 성소수자의 범주에 넣지 않는 것이 일반적이다.

상징 

성소수자 상징은 성소수자 커뮤니티에서 정체성을 표현하기 위해 사용하는 여러 상징들로 단결, 긍지, 가치의 공유, 다른이에 대한 성실 등을 나타낸다. 성소수자의 상징은 주류사회에 대해 소수자의 개념, 정체성, 아이디어 등을 나타내는 표상으로 사용된다. 국제적으로 널리 알려진 성소수자 상징으로는 핑크 트라이앵글과 무지개기가 있다.

또한 성정체성이나 성적 정체성에 따라 사용되는 깃발이 있는데, 대부분이 3개의 색으로 이루어져있다. 예를 들자면 양성애자는 위에서부터 핑크색, 보라색, 파란색으로 이루어진 깃발이 있다.

법률적 권리 

성소수자의 권리는 각 나라와 지역별로 온전하게 보장받거나, 크게 제약을 받는다. 동성 결혼이 법제화된 국가가 있는 반면, 동성애 행위만으로도 사형을 처하는 국가가 존재한다.(총 7개국) 성소수자의 권리는 기본적인 인권이자 시민권으로서 여러 항목을 포함하고 있는데, 경우에 따라서는 특정 권리들, 가령 동성부부의 아이 입양이나 동성애자의 군 복무 등이 제한되기도 한다. 

대표적으로 미국에서는 동성혼이 허가되었다. 

더불어, 대한민국은 현재 성소수자 차별금지에 관한 사항을 다루는 등의 성소수자를 보호하는 법안이 없다.

같이 보기 
 인권
 차별금지법
 평등결혼
 대한민국의 성소수자 행사
 대한민국의 성소수자 목록
 대한민국의 성소수자
 대한민국의 성소수자 인권단체
 국제 성소수자 혐오 반대의 날
 프라이드 퍼레이드
 게이 게임스
 LGBT

각주

외부 링크 

 
소수자