ABSTRACT
Sexual minority men (“SMM”) is a term that includes diverse identities of men who have romantic attraction and/or sexual relationships with other men. While each SMM is unique and with distinct experiences, common experiences and conflicts occur. Many SMM experience similar developmental and lifespan issues, including coming out, SMM-specific youth experiences, relationships with other men, parenting and/or fatherhood, and issues specific to aging. SMM experience intra-community conflict pertaining to issues such as gender expression, body type, homophobia, and generation gaps. A deeper understanding of the many ways that SMM live their lives and interpret their identities can help social work practitioners elevate their policy, practice and research work with these individuals and communities.
