The societal expectation that everyone is heterosexual is unfair and false. As a queer individual, the assumption that romantic relationships are between a man and a woman has left me fighting for representation and understanding. Pushing the narrative of heteronormativity leaves LGBTQIA+ individuals with a lack of adequate resources or representation.

While we tend to view representation as something attached to television and movies, representation is vital in the resources presented and how they are presented. While straight couples can look at a majority of articles with relationship advice and have advice that is unnecessarily gendered, couples that have one or more queer or gender non-conforming individuals can feel like the resources for them are harder to find.

In addition, seeking out help with relationship-based issues can be extremely difficult and have obstacles they are specific to the LGBTQIA+ community. When these couples need counselors or couples therapy, they have to hope that the person they are planning on seeing is not homophobic, or transphobic in some cases and that they understand how sexuality plays a role within the relationship.

The current lack of LGBTQIA+ resources can also end up harming the individuals within the community. From domestic violence to homelessness, the LGBTQIA+ community has unique challenges that shouldn't be ignored, but they often are because it's "easier" to provide for a simple standard. But for couples that follow outside of those standards, they are forced to use information that may not match their situation which could be dangerous.

This is why it is vital to stop approaching relationship advice from a "straight people only" perspective. Resources need to exist for everyone you are struggling in a relationship. Not everything has to exist for a purely straight audience. The LGBTQIA+ community exists, and that existence needs to be recognized with appropriate resources.