From Sex Education to Sexualities Education: Navigating the Intersectionality of Queer Communities in Italy and the Netherlands

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the experiences, needs, and interests of queer people who are also neurodivergent, or live with a chronic illness or disability (i.e. IMMI: individuals with multi-minority identities) in Italy and the Netherlands. Five focus groups were conducted in Italy with 22 queer IMMI to identify their most relevant topics regarding and experiences with sex education. Building on the discussion topics of the focus groups, a survey in Italian and English was distributed via snowball sampling. The survey was created to explore the experiences related to sex education in the two countries. The final sample of respondents included 138 (97 Italian, 41 Dutch) queer IMMI. Results indicated that sex education received in both formal (e.g. school) and informal (e.g. family) contexts failed to include information that was sensitive and supportive of queer community’s experiences. Participants reported the need to explore more topics addressing the specific needs of different identity intersections. Cross-cultural differences related to the experiences of Italian and Dutch participants were found. Overall, current sex education in Italy and the Netherlands is far from meeting the sexual health needs of queer people living with different intersections. Practical implications are discussed.