New Research: Anti-Gay Bias is Harmful to Health

A new study confirms what earlier research demonstrated: Anti-gay bias is harmful not only to the legal and social equality of LGBTs, but also to their mental and physical health.

The new study, titled "We'd Be Free: Narratives of Life Without Homophobia, Racism or Sexism," comes from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, a think tank that examines issues related to sexual minority status and the law.

The study "finds that stigma and social inequality can increase stress and reduce well-being for LGB people, even in the absence of major traumatic events such as hate crimes and discrimination," a description of the study posted at the website for the Williams Institute says.

"The study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, used qualitative analysis with 57 sexual minority men and women to identify aspects of stigma that are difficult to identify," text at the site continued. "Subjects reported estrangement from families, failure to complete schooling, and isolation in the workplace."

The website's text noted that another finding from the study was that some sexual minorities felt that the bias they faced drive them to improve their lives and helped to define them as people.

"Stigma and social inequality deprive disadvantaged social groups of a sense of social well-being," the study's abstract notes. "Stress researchers have focused on prejudice-related events and conditions but have not described more intangible stressors experienced by sexual minorities.

"We use narrative methods to examine how sexual minorities experience stigma and social inequality as we focus on the more intangible stressors that are both pervasive and difficult to measure," the abstract continues. "Three themes emerged in the narratives of our ethnically diverse sample of 57 adult sexual minority women and men: (a) stigma deprived them of access to critical possibilities and opportunities; (b) stigma deprives them of safety and acceptance; and (c) despite this, the experience of stigma is also related to the adoption of a positive and collective orientation towards their stigmatized identities.

"Recognizing these stressors and related resilience can direct policy makers toward interventions that go even beyond eliminating prejudice by including goals to strengthen minority communities."

"Imagine living life anticipating exclusion from your friends, family and professional circles simply because of who you are and who you love--that resulting stress takes a toll on one's life and health," study co-author Ilan Meyer explained.

"Blacks and Latinos, in particular, characterized 'homophobia, racism and sexism' as a major source of stress that led to missed life opportunities, including a quality education and higher levels of self-confidence overall," reported G Philly in an Oct. 6 article on the new research.

"For members of minority groups, day-to-day life experiences that may seem minor to others can and do have significant and lasting impact on one's well-being," Meyer noted. "The idea that simply walking out your door will expose you to societal rejection and stigma creates a climate of stress that can lead to detrimental, long-term consequences."

Research has already shown that LGBTs live under considerably more stress in states where their rights have put up to the popular vote. Such votes often entail bitter and accusatory campaigns that demonize and scapegoat LGBTs.

Moreover, bias-related stress can also be a matter of how one views oneself. A report published earlier this year, Suicide and Suicide Risk in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Populations: Review and Recommendations, showed that LGBT teens are significantly more at risk than heterosexual teens. However, the labels--more than the teens' sexual behavior--seemed to impact their mental health: Teens who had sex with others of the same gender and referred to themselves as gay were the ones who more frequently engaged in suicidal behavior. But teens who had sex with others of the same gender and yet still saw themselves as heterosexual were at the same risk as teens who had sex exclusively with members of the opposite gender.

That same study also documented the mental health impact of anti-gay ballot referendums on the mental health of sexual minorities.