A new qualitative study is giving long-overdue visibility to how LGBTQI+ stroke survivors and their partners experience sex and sexuality after stroke. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, researchers interviewed 18 stroke survivors and 5 partners across the U.S., U.K., Canada, and New Zealand, finding four recurring themes: changes in sexual functioning, shifts in sexual activity and behavior, relationship strain, and barriers to LGBTQI+ community access. Most participants reported negative changes.
One gay man shared, “Because my left leg was paralyzed. I couldn’t really sit up or kneel or yeah, assume any particular position and just became harder both for me and for any partner.”
Another participant said, “I’m now suffering a bit of erectile dysfunction. And I didn’t know I was. And I was quite obviously embarrassed by it.”
But not every story was about loss. Some couples adapted positions, pace, or embraced non-penetrative intimacy. Others negotiated ethical non-monogamy to meet needs. Yet many described role shifts from partner to caregiver and feeling excluded from queer spaces due to disability, fatigue, or accessibility hurdles. Authors say the findings should reshape sexual rehabilitation, which too often assumes heterosexual norms.
Recommendations include training clinicians to discuss LGBTQI+-specific concerns (from PIA to consent after brain injury), addressing body image and confidence, and co-designing support with survivors. So how can you help? Spread the word and follow the project on Facebook or Instagram at @strokelgbtiresearch. You can also participate in the research if you are an 18 + adult who lives in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom; who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, or intersex; and who has experienced a stroke or is the partner of someone who has.
Participation involves a one-on-one interview with the study’s lead, Mr. William Kokay, a PhD Candidate at the Sydney School of Health Sciences to learn more. This study has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee at the University of Sydney. Kokay hopes this research will service the needs and preferences that should shape sexual rehabilitation—so support truly helps LGBTQI+ stroke survivors and their partners
