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Alisha Bachman, Ph.D., is a 2025 graduate of the Ph.D. Program in Couple and Family Therapy at Antioch University, New England

Dissertation Committee:

  • Kristi Harrison, PhD, Committee Chair
  • Markie L. C. Twist, PhD, Committee Member
  • Fiona O’Farrell, PhD, Committee Member

Keywords

LGBTQIA+ youth, parents of LGBTQIA+ youth, comprehensive sex education, protective factors, ecological systems theory, queer theory

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

Empirical research on LGBTQIA+ youth and Comprehensive Sex Education is scarce and now, due to the current political climate, is under threat. Utilizing an interpretive phenomenological approach applying ecological systems and queer theory, this study explored the lived experiences of how parents of LGBTQIA+ youth perceive school-based comprehensive sex education. By isolating the phenomenon of comprehensive sex education, this study focused on the immediate context of influence that comprehensive sex education makes on LGBTQIA+ youth and families. This research used data collected through semi-structured interviews with nine different parents. Four themes emerged from the data: Communication and Education about Sexuality and LGBTQIA+ Identity, Supporting LGBTQIA+ Youth in Schools, Parenting LGBTQIA+ Youth, and Empowering LGBTQIA+ Youth. These themes yield implications for policy, research, and practice with LGBTQIA+ youth, their families, and their schools. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

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ORCID No.: 0009-0003-7340-5420

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