LGBTQ+ Pride is important to Public Health

June 14, 2023
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It’s June, y’all… HAPPY PRIDE!

This month we’re celebrating Pride, the LGBQTQ+ community, and our lab of amazing LGBTQ+ and allied health researchers.

One of the main Pride events is kicking off in Columbus, Ohio this week, so we thought it was the perfect time to share a short introduction to Pride and why it’s important to public health.

What is Pride?

Pride is a month focused on celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community and history. The first Pride marches were held in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots – a series of spontaneous demonstrations that erupted in New York City on June 28, 1969 when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar.

At the time, “masquerade” or “cross-dressing” laws deemed that “men” and “women” must wear a specific number of clothing items that matched the gender on their state-issued ID. These laws were used to raid drinking establishments and arrest transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. Just after midnight on June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn as they had before. But this time, Stonewall patrons fought back.

As Shane O’Neill, film producer of the New York times mini-documentary, “The Stonewall you know is a Myth. And that’s O.K.” noted,

“Stonewall was about people reclaiming their own narratives…”.

Pride Month is a time to celebrate LGBTQ+ community, identity, and culture. It’s an opportunity for LGBTQ+ folks and allies to show up, en masse, and just “be”. During Pride, we celebrate our progress in advancing civil rights for LGBTQ people. During Pride, we draw attention to the reality that LGBTQ+ civil rights and lives are under attack.

How does public health connect to Pride?

For public health practitioners and scientists, Pride is a time to assess what we are doing to address the social conditions that threaten the health and safety of LGBTQ+ people in our communities.

In 2023, 491 bills targeting LGBTQ+ individuals have been introduced in state legislatures.

  • 130 bills target access to LGBTQ+ healthcare. These bills limit access to medically-necessary health care, like Medicaid and other insurance coverage, for transgender people. Many ban gender affirming care for young people and create criminal penalties to those providing gender affirming care.
  • 228 bills target education. They prevent trans students from participating in school sports activities and use bathrooms that correspond with their gender, compel teachers to “out” students, and censor in-school discussions of LGBTQ+ people and history.

The slate of laws targeting LGBTQ people reflects a growing culture of violence. In 2022, anti-LGBTQ+ violence and extremism – including demonstrations, acts of political violence and murder, and the distribution of offline propaganda – surged around the United States. Anti-LGBTQ+ extremism harms LGBTQ+ people, who are up to 4x as likely to experience violent attacks as non-LGBT+ people.

Public health practice and science recognizes that the social conditions we experience effect mental and physical health.  Trauma lives in the body in the form of chronic inflammation and pain. Trauma drives coping and health behaviors. It’s not surprising that LGBTQ+ people fare worse on leading health indicators. At a population-level, tobacco use, vaping, and binge drinking are higher among LGBTQ+ people. We also experience high rates of hypertension and heart disease; diabetes; asthma and COPD; and lung, cervical, anal, breast, and colorectal cancers. We lose too many to homicide and suicide.

As public health workers, funders, and scientists, we can protect and support LGBTQ+ communities. We can:

  • stand against legislation that puts the lives and health of LGBTQ+ people at risk.
  • develop services, organizations, and communities that welcome and are accessible to LGBTQ+ people.
  • include LGBTQ+ health case studies and share LGBTQ+ focused research in our curriculum and continuing education programs.
  • fund community-engaged research and initiatives to strengthen and support LGBTQ+ communities.
  • add sexual orientation and gender identity questions to surveys so our health and wellness is accounted for.
  • support local LGBTQ+ businesses.
  • speak up and show up with our LGBTQ+ neighbors, coworkers, family, and friends.

Final thoughts

LGBTQ+ people and communities are resilient. We are strong. We are hopeful. We endure. We matter.

All LGBTQ+ people deserve to feel safe, joyful, and connected.

We need public health to stand with us, to advocate with us, and to help us build toward justice for all people.