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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

1. Does the LGBTQ community have more depression and suicide than its heterosexual counterpart?

Yes. Members of the LGBTQ community have more than twice the mental health problems compared to the heterosexual community. Specifically, LGBTQ members are 2.5 times more likely to have depression. In addition, they have higher rates of suicide (Reference 1). This can be correlated to the high number of LGBLT members who report verbal and physical abuse, harassment, and discrimination throughout their lifetime. This has been attested to by Ilian H Meyer, PhD, and other social scientists on many occasions (Reference 2).

2. Do members of the LGBTQ community have more anxiety disorders than heterosexuals?

Yes. Members of the LGBTQ community report higher rates of anxiety than the heterosexual community. 60% of LGBTQ members report either anxiety or depression sometime in their lives (Reference 3). This can be correlated to the high numbers of LGBTQ members who are subjected to higher-than-average levels of violence and discrimination throughout their lives (Reference 4).

3. How much more likely are members of the LGBTQ community to be a victim of a violent crime than cis-gender heterosexuals?

LGBTQ members are approximately three times more likely to be a victim of a violent crime than their heterosexual counterparts. In the LGBTQ community, there are 71.2 victims for every 1000 people in the US who are victims of violent crimes. In the heterosexual community, there are 19.2 victims for every 1000 people in the US (Reference 4).

4. In what way are members of the LGBTQ community discriminated against?

According to the "Special Issue: Experiences of Discrimination in America" 2019 report, members of the LGBTQ community reported discrimination in a variety of ways. A. 16% reported discrimination in healthcare encounters B. 34% reported harassment regarding bathroom use C. 51% reported being the victim of violence D. 53% reported micro-aggressions E. 53% reported sexual harassment F. 57% reported slurs (Reference 5)

5. Do members of the LGBTQ community suffer lower self-esteem?

Yes. Many members of the LGBTQ community have lower self-esteem than their heterosexual counterparts (Reference 6). Many LGBTQ members, especially LGBTQ youths, have not only been subjected to legal and illegal discrimination but have also been subjected to cruel treatment by peers and family members. Many youths have been taunted, bullied, and socially rejected by peers at school. Other youths have been overly punished by family members, sometimes sexually abused (3.1 times more than heterosexual children), and many have been forced out of their homes: as many as 43% (Reference 1 & 7). Additionally, many LGBTQ youths have reported the following types of abuse. A. 10% reported being threatened with a weapon B. 18% reported physical abuse C. 34% reported being bullied at school

6. Does the LGBTQ community have more physical health problems than the heterosexual community?

Yes. As a general rule, the LGBTQ community has more medical problems, more difficulty accessing timely health care, and more difficulty getting certain medical disorders covered by insurance (Reference 8). In addition to having twice the rate of mental health problems as heterosexuals, members of the LGBTQ community have all of the same medical illnesses as their heterosexual counterparts, such as cancer and heart disease. In addition, they have a few extra illnesses. Gay, bisexual, and transgender men also have much higher rates of HIV (~20,000 new cases/year), human papillomavirus (HPV), and anal cancer. Gay and bisexual women have much higher rates of alcoholism, obesity, and probably breast cancer (Reference 9 & 10).

7. Do gay and bisexual women have an increased rate of breast cancer?

Probably. The USA Institute of Medicine stated that lesbian and bisexual women may be a high risk for breast cancer. A look at 7 studies had mixed results: 2 showed a higher rate, 4 showed no difference, and one showed inconclusive results (Reference 9). The higher rates of breast cancer in 2 of the studies are consistent with other studies done with gay and bisexual women showing they have more risk factors associated with breast cancer. Many gay and bisexual women never have children, never breastfeed, are overweight, abuse alcohol, and experience a high level of minority stress—more so than their heterosexual counterparts (Reference 10).

8. Does the LGBTQ community abuse more alcohol?

Yes. LGBTQ members also have approximately twice the number of substance abuse and alcohol use disorders as members of the heterosexual community (Reference 11). In one study, about 44% of LGB members between the ages of 18 and 28 reported binge drinking at least once in the past month. Another 10% reported binge drinking at least 5 times in the last month (Reference 12). [Binge drinking was defined as having five or more drinks in one day]. Of course, it is a well-known fact that alcohol abuse is correlated with a wide variety of health problems such as alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and many other illnesses. Therefore, members of the LGBTQ community are more likely to have alcohol-related illnesses.

9. Do members of the LGBTQ community smoke more cigarettes?

Yes. About 20% of gay and bisexual men and women were found to smoke cigarettes, compared to 14% of their heterosexual peers. The number of gay and bisexual smokers from ages 18-24 was found to be as high as 40% (Reference 13). A study looking at transgender youths found that transgender youths are 4 times as likely to smoke cigarettes as cisgender youths (Reference 14). Naturally, the abuse of nicotine-based products over a lifetime is correlated with a higher risk of illnesses such as strokes, heart attacks, peripheral vascular disease, and various types of cancers.

10. Are members of the LGBTQ community more likely to be overweight?

"Yes" for women—but "no" for men. Gay and bisexual women are more likely to be overweight (Reference 15). This additional weight is correlated with a wide variety of health problems: breast cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and more. Conversely, studies show gay, bisexual, or transgender men are less likely to be overweight than their heterosexual male counterparts. But, gay, bisexual, and transgender men have a much higher rate of HIV, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and anal cancers than their heterosexual counterparts. These illnesses are often acquired at a young age and require diligent medical attention throughout a lifetime to avoid horrible consequences such as encephalopathy, cytomegalovirus, tuberculosis, pneumocystis pneumonia, and many more.

11. Does the LGBTQ community get less healthcare than the heterosexual community?

Yes. When one compares the entire LGBTQ community with the entire heterosexual community there is a disparity. (Reference 8 & 16 & 17). The disparity between the LGBTQ community and the heterosexual community is greatly increased for members of the LGBTQ community who have no jobs or low-salary jobs. These situations often result in no health insurance or poor health insurance (Reference 18). [For our purposes, we will define “poor health insurance” as insurance that has a high deductible and greatly limits the doctors who can be seen.] Of course, the logical question to ask is why many LGBTQ members have poor medical insurance or no medical insurance. The answer for many LGBTQ members is that they not only had more obstacles to overcome as children to obtain a good education (such as being forced to move out of their parent’s homes at a young age), but they continued to be discriminated against as adults, which also inhibited their ability to further their education and acquire to acquire a high-paying, good-insurance job. Lower-paying jobs with poor insurance subsequently result in higher-deductible insurance with lower ability to select doctors. Less pay means less money for copayments, less ability to take off time from work when sick, and less reliable transportation to get to and from the doctor's office. Furthermore, many members of the LGBTQ community are reluctant to pursue getting medical care when they need it due to past negative medical experiences such as micro-aggression, overt verbal abuse, and blatant rejection. A survey of 28,000 transgender in 2015, reported that as high as 23% did not seek care because they were afraid of mistreatment by medical staff (Reference 16).

12. Are there still laws that discriminate against the LGBTQ community?

Yes, there are still laws that discriminate against the LGBTQ community, and there continue to be new attempts to pass additional laws that discriminate against LGBTQ members. The following are some current discrimination laws: A. Missisippi's SB 1523. This bill states that the US government cannot take any actions against a business that discriminates against members of the LGBTQ if the discrimination is based on the business's religious beliefs. B. In North Dakota, the legislators passed a bill in 2003, that states that a child-placing agency does not have to assist members of the LGBTQ community to foster children or to adopt children— if their applicant's sexuality disagrees with the agency's religious beliefs. C. In 2013, the state of Virginia passed a law that states that a child-placing agency does not have to help members of the LGBTQ community—if their sexuality is not approved of by the providing agency. D. In 2015, Michigan legislators passed a law stating a child-placing agency does not have to help members of the LGBTQ community to foster or adopt children— if the agency's religious beliefs do not agree with the sexuality of the applicant. Furthermore, the law prohibits the prosecution of these agencies for discrimination. E. In 2016, Tennessee legislators passed a law (Senate Bill 1556) that allows therapists to reject members of the LGBTQ community. E. In 2017, Alabama made it legal for child-placing agencies to discriminate against members of the LGBTQ community. F. In 2017, Texas also passed a law making it legal for child placement agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ members (Reference 19).

13. Did the Trump-Pence administration pass laws to discriminate against the LGBTQ community?

Yes. The Trump-Pence administration repeatedly tried in various ways to try to repeal LGBTQ anti-discrimination laws. One of these attempts was to allow certain religiously affiliated healthcare providers to refuse to provide services to individuals to whom they morally objected. Furthermore, the Trump-Pence administration repealed the anti-discrimination section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Fortunately, despite Trump and Pence's efforts to repeal this anti-discrimination section, a judge blocked this repeal (2016). Furthermore, in 2019, Trump, Pence, and Betsy DeVos attempted to reduce anti-transgender protection laws, which allowed transgender youth to use the bathroom of public schools that conformed with their gender identity. Their attempt resulted in numerous negative consequences for those students such as harassment, depression, and anxiety (Reference 20).

14. Are there states that do not have explicit laws to protect the housing rights of LGBTQ members?

Yes. There are 19 states that do not explicitly forbid the discrimination of LGBTQ members from being discriminated against when attempting to obtain housing. These are the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tenessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming (Reference 21).

"Yes" for women—but "no" for men. Gay and bisexual women are more likely to be overweight (Reference 15). This additional weight is correlated with a wide variety of health problems: breast cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and more. Conversely, studies show gay, bisexual, or transgender men are less likely to be overweight than their heterosexual male counterparts. But, gay, bisexual, and transgender men have a much higher rate of HIV, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and anal cancers than their heterosexual counterparts. These illnesses are often acquired at a young age and require diligent medical attention throughout a lifetime to avoid horrible consequences such as encephalopathy, cytomegalovirus, tuberculosis, pneumocystis pneumonia, and many more.

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Types of Illnesses Treated

Urgent Care Illnesses

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Women's Health

Men's Health

Psychiatry

Chronic Medical Conditions

Dermatology

Medical Problems Not Treated

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

References