Quantifying the Effects of Homophobia
Providing the quantifiable effects of homophobia will allow policy makers, economists, and global leaders to better understand that anti-gay laws ultimately do more harm than good, to LGBT people and the population at large.
–Dominic Bocci for The Advocate
Society must be kept accountable for the facts that an LGBT youth is 40% more likely to commit suicide than her straight counterpart. Homelessness, lack of health care access, substance abuse, and employment discrimination are all higher among LGBT people.
Another new study, this time from Social Science and Medicine, has confirmed earlier data that . . .suicide, homicide, and cardiovascular disease are substantially elevated among sexual minorities in high-prejudice communities. As these studies become quite visible and accepted, they provide activists with perhaps more convincing arguments against discrimination, such as economics and public health, that may reach a larger audience of potential allies.
The community of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people have long focused on the moral argument against discrimination, and now can and should add these other dimensions that prove anti-LGBT laws hurt everyone.