Accept Yourself!
Accept Yourself!
by Angelo Viruet, Social Media Intern 2025-2026
When it comes to navigating sexual function and dysfunction, it’s important to keep all the dimensions of sexual wellness in mind. Identity plays more of a role in sex than one might even think. In fact, several recommendations were written by Dr. Maurice M. Garcia and others for the 2024 International Consultation on Sexual Medicine (ICSM) to take into consideration if you’re in the community. Everyone in the community can take some of these concepts and keep them in mind for better sexual function.
First, here’s some information for those whose sexual orientations fall under the LGBT+ umbrella. Did you know by just having more acceptance of your identity, you’re more likely to have better sexual functioning? It’s also true the other way around—for example, it was found that in bisexual people, self-invalidation and internalized bi-negativity was linked to sexual dysfunction. Stress also plays a key role. Social stresses are more profound in those in the community due to the stigma of having a different social orientation than the ‘norm’, and this can influence various parts of one’s life such as the difference between one’s personal and social identity (which impacts sexual satisfaction!).
Some studies assume that better sexual function is linked to successful medical treatment with transgender individuals, but that’s not always true. Although gender-affirming hormone therapy is linked to sexual satisfaction over time, there’s a stronger link between body satisfaction and sexual function. It goes to show that self-acceptance is key when it comes to improving sex—as seen earlier with the acceptance of your identity, accepting your body and being comfortable with yourself is key, no matter if you choose medical treatment or not. For transmasculine individuals taking testosterone therapy, it’s even the case that taking testosterone itself does not impact sexual satisfaction even when it increases sexual activity and desire.
Dr. Maurice M. Garcia and the ICSM group took a look at recommendations and data for intersex individuals as well. It’s important to keep in mind that it’s okay to not want to conform to medical treatment to fit the ‘norm’, and research shows that there are varied outcomes of sexual function with various medical surgeries, such as vaginoplasties for those who have Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome. Treatment is complex, and there’s not one answer for everything. There’s growing interest for research when it comes to intersex individuals, and especially for the very field of sexual function and satisfaction.
Ultimately, an overarching theme in this work: accepting yourself. There are links between lower levels of self-approval and sexual dysfunction in the LGBT+ community (something that’s true for everyone, LGBT+ or not!) While there are calls to action for providers to push inclusion (such as inclusive language and affirming gender identity, affirmative therapy strategies, etc.) Dr. Maurice M. Garcia and others make it clear: a big part of how you function sexually is how you see yourself, and how you see your identity.
