Celebrating LGBTQI+ Pride and Promoting Health
Pride Month, held every June, is a celebration of the LGBTQI+ community and a commemoration of LGBTQI+ rights. The movement has achieved major milestones in the acceptance, visibility, and rights for the people in this community, despite anti-LGBTQI+ legislation currently growing across the country.1
Milestones in LGBTQI+ Rights
As a result of hard work by countless organizations and individuals, we have made great strides in LGBTQI+ rights in the past 50+ years,2 including:
- Legalizing same-sex marriage3
- Lifting the transgender military ban4
- Increasing LGBTQI+ representation in professional and Olympic sports, politics, and media5,6
- Passing legislature to protect against discrimination in the workplace and restricted healthcare access7,8
Looking Ahead: Improving LGBTQI+ Health and Healthcare Access
Social and structural barriers, like stigma, homophobia, and discrimination, have a significant impact on health outcomes for LGBTQI+ people. As of June 2024, more than 500 bills have been introduced across the United States that target LGBTQI+ rights, including healthcare access, especially for the transgender community.9 Many include bans on or restricted access to gender-affirming care for trans youth.10
Research shows that transgender people who receive gender-affirming care, specifically gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAH), during adolescence had reduced risk for mental health conditions (e.g., suicidal ideation, severe psychological distress, substance use) compared to those who began GAH later.13
Addressing the healthcare barriers and persisting health disparities among the LGBTQI+ community is on the forefront of efforts by leading health organizations. This includes improving mental health—a challenge that has historically and disproportionately affected the LGBTQI+ community, including higher risk for mental illness, substance use, and substance use disorder.14 An overarching goal of Healthy People 2030 is to “improve the health, safety, and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.” Objectives supporting this goal focus on improving health behavior, addressing systemic barriers, and increasing data collection efforts to inform intervention strategies that maximize LGBTQI+ health outcomes. Specific target areas include bullying, substance use, mental health, sexually transmitted infections—specifically HIV—and cancer screening and detection.15
Supporting LGBTQI+ Health During Pride Month
Here are a few ways you can support LGBTQI+ health during Pride Month this year, or even simply build awareness of important topics among this community:
- Learn about using inclusive language when discussing LGBTQI+ people and identities, including terms to use and to avoid to affirm the integrity of individuals and to avoid stigma or “othering” (e.g., using gender pronouns in workplace communications).
- Visit the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for information and resources to help support and be an ally to the LGBTQI+ community.
- Review these evidence-based resources, including screening recommendations, reports, studies, and websites, focused on improving LGBTQI+ health.
- Read the National Coalitions for LGBTQ Health’s State of LGBTQ Health™ Second Annual National Survey findings to stay up to date on the current healthcare challenges facing the LGBTQ+ community.
- Mark your calendar: Thursday, June 27, 2024, is National HIV Testing Day! Gay, bisexual, and other men who reported male-to-male sexual contact continue to comprise the majority (70%) of new HIV cases in the United States.16 Several HIV prevention strategies and options are available, but routine testing is the first line of defense. Be a part of this important health observance by sharing information and resources with others about HIV testing options to stay safe and healthy.
References
1 American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). (2024, June 14). Mapping attacks on LGBTQ rights in U.S. state legislatures in 2024. https://www.aclu.org/legislative-attacks-on-lgbtq-rights-2024?impact=&state=
2 CNN. (2024, May 21). LGBTQ rights milestones fast facts. https://www.cnn.com/2015/06/19/us/lgbt-rights-milestones-fast-facts/index.html
3 Oyez. (n.d.). Obergefall v. Hodges. https://www.oyez.org/cases/2014/14-556
4 CNN. (2024, January 25). Biden lifts transgender military ban. https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/25/politics/lloyd-austin-transgender-military-harris-biden/index.html
5 Grinberg, E. (2012, November 7). Wisconsin’s Tammy Baldwin is first openly gay person elected to Senate. CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/07/politics/wisconsin-tammy-baldwin-senate/
6 Brocchetto, N. (2016, August 11). Olympics: Record number of LGBT athletes at Rio 2016. CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/11/sport/rio-2016-lgbt-olympians/
7 De Vogue, A., & Cole, D. (2020, June 5). Supreme Court says federal law protects LGBTQ workers from discrimination. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/15/politics/supreme-court-lgbtq-employment-case/index.html
8 Lotz, A. (2024, April 27). Biden administration restores protections for gay and transgender Americans seeking health care. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/27/politics/lgbtq-health-care-biden-administration-rules-affordable-care-act/index.html
9 ACLU. (2024, June 14)
10 Human Rights Camaign. (n.d.). Map: Attacks on gender affirming care by state. https://www.hrc.org/resources/attacks-on-gender-affirming-care-by-state-map
11 World Health Organization. (2024). Gender congruence and transgender health in the ICD. https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/frequently-asked-questions/gender-incongruence-and-transgender-health-in-the-icd
12 Redfield, E., Conron, K.J., and Mallory, C. (2024). Youth impacted by anti-transgender legislation in 2024. The Williams Institute, University of California Los Angeles. https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024-Anti-Trans-Legislation-Apr-2024.pdf, p. 2.
13 Turban, J. L., King, D., Kobe, J., Reisner, S. L., & Keuroghlian, A. S. (2022). Access to gender-affirming hormones during adolescence and mental health outcomes among transgender adults. PloS One, 17(1), e0261039. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261039
14 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2023). Lesbian, gay, and bisexual behavioral health: Results from the 2021 and 2022 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (SAMHSA Publication No. PEP23-07-01-001). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality., U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt41899/2022_LGB_Brief_Final_06_07_23.pdf
15 Office of Disease Prevention and Human Promotion. (n.d.). Healthy People 2030, LGBT. Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health, HHS. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/lgbt
16 Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2024, April 24). Fast facts: HIV and gay and bisexual men. HHS. https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/data-research/facts-stats/gay-bisexual-men.html ; Linley, L., Johnson, A. S., & Song, R. (2021). Estimated HIV incidence and prevalence in the United States 2015–2019. HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report, 26(1). https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112160