CHALLENGES OF THE CONSENT PROCESS FOR LGBTQ+ MINORS
Researchers use parent permission as a safety protection for minor participation in research. Parent permission can be harmful to many teens who take part in studies on sensitive topics. Parent permission can be harmful for teens taking part in research on things like HIV because it increases the possibility of parents finding out about their sexual and substance use behaviors.
This type of research could also “out” teens to their parents. Research shows that between 25%-50% of LGBTQ+ youth have not told their parents about their identity. Many parents are supportive of their LGBTQ+ children, but many are not. Some parents may punish youth, abuse youth, or even disown them and throw them out of their homes. LGBTQ+ youth need different research protections because of the challenges that parent permission can cause.
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Photo was used from the Gender Spectrum Collection: https://genderphotos.vice.com