Heterocentric practices in health research and health care : implications for mental health and subjectivity of LGBTQ individuals

Charting the terrain of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) health psychology is an ambitious project. Some would question whether there can be a common terrain which will encompass the diverse experiences of all those who position themselves as LGBTQ. Research has found clear differences between gay men and lesbians on issues such as mental health (Cochran et al., 2003), identity development (Savin-Williams and Diamond, 2000) and relationship functioning (Green et al., 1996). At the same time, assumptions about 'nonheterosexual' populations are often based on research conducted with white, middle-class, gay men (Parks et al., 2004), which is generalized to all others who stand outside the heterosexual matrix, leading to gross misrepresentations of health risk and experience for many individuals.1 Mapping the terrain of LGBTQ health psychology is an important task, but we must be wary of denying diversity and difference in the aim of creating a unified field.