PROJECT NARRATIVE Very little research has been done regarding non-STI-related health disparities affecting sexual and gender minorities (SGM). Even less is known about what these minorities think about the desirability of research that combines genetic variation and data about sexual orientation and gender identity with other health and demographic information, strategies required to understand and address these disparities.

Sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) experience significant disparities in health and health care. These inequities result from complex interactions among social, political, environmental, and genomic factors, all of which must be understood if we are to address these disparities. The research needed to understand the health issues faced by SGM populations will often require analysis of large collections of individual phenotypic and behavioral information, community characteristics, and large-scale genomic data.