Strategies to Promote LGBTQ+ Inclusivity in Adult-Serving Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education Programs

Healthy marriage and relationship education (HMRE) programs for adults teach skills for forming and maintaining healthy, stable romantic relationships and marriages. Programs can serve a wide variety of populations, including married couples, unmarried couples, and individuals who may or may not be in a relationship. While these programs are available to adults who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, or another sexual or gender minority (LGBTQ+), few of them specifically address the perspective and experiences of LGBTQ+ adults. It is important for HMRE programs to consider how to make their programs more inclusive for this growing and underserved population.

This brief highlights strategies HMRE programs can use to improve their inclusivity for LGBTQ+ adults in the areas of (1) recruitment, outreach, and initial engagement; (2) program content and delivery; and (3) staff hiring and training. It also describes the potential benefit of partnering with trusted members of the LGBTQ+ community to implement the strategies successfully. The evidence supporting these strategies is described in more detail in a white paper about the challenges HMRE programs face related to LGBTQ+ inclusivity and promising approaches for overcoming these challenges (Alamillo et al. 2023).