Information and Links Regarding LGBTQIA+ Life in the United States
(This is follow up info to this article: https://cptsdfoundation.org/2022/07/07/many-lgbtqia-people-may-have-cptsd-symptoms-and-dont-even-know/)
Regarding Mental Health/Illness in the Queer Community
From The Trevor Project’s website at https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/article/facts-about-lgbtq-youth-suicide/
LGBTQ youth are not
inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender
identity, but rather placed at higher risk because of how we are mistreated and
stigmatized in society.
The Trevor Project’s
2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health (https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2022)
found that 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the
past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth. Nearly one in 5 transgender and nonbinary youth attempted
suicide and LGBTQ youth of color reported higher rates than their white peers.
From
the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute’s at https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/press/suicide-prevention-media-alert/
Research shows that anti-LGBT
discrimination and victimization contribute to an increase in the risk of
suicidality and that LGBT people are at disproportionate risk of suicidal
ideation, planning, and attempts. In recognition of Suicide Prevention Month,
the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law is providing a summary of current
data on suicidality among LGBT people…
Research has shown a high prevalence of suicidal
behavior among LGB people. A 2016 review
of research found 17% of LGB adults had attempted suicide during their
lifetime, compared to 2.4% of the general U.S. population.
Alcohol Use and Reasons
From Alcohol Rehab Guide’s website at https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/resources/lgbtq-alcoholism/
Alcoholism is a very serious problem in the LGBTQ
community. Up to 25% of the general LGBTQ community has moderate alcohol
dependency, compared to 5-10% of the general population.
Reasons For LGBTQ
Alcoholism
The LGBTQ community is
strongly impacted by alcoholism for a number of reasons. One of the most
important is the intense bigotry that the LGBTQ community faces on a daily
basis. This is especially true for older LGBTQ individuals or those who reside
in less tolerant regions. This bigotry often results in intense emotional
distress, including anxiety, fear, and feelings of low self-esteem. Many turn
to alcohol as a way to self-medicate, at least temporarily. As time goes on,
this “self-medication” actually makes these symptoms worse, leading to more
drinking, and a downward spiral has begun.”
“Additionally, alcohol
use has become deeply ingrained in LGBTQ society as a result of history. For
many decades, the only places that LGBTQ individuals, in particular gay men,
could be open about their sexuality with other LGBTQ individuals and feel safe
were in gay bars. Drinking became one of the primary social interactions in the
community. In fact, many of the most important moments in LGBTQ history, such
as the Stonewall Riots which led to the creation of the modern LGBTQ rights
movement, were closely connected to gay bars. As a result, alcohol abuse, even
heavy alcohol abuse, has become more normalized in the LGBTQ community than
society at large.
Drug Use and Reasons
From American Addiction Centers’ website last updated Oct 26, 2021, at https://americanaddictioncenters.org/lgbtqiapk-addiction/why-substance-abuse-is-higher-within-the-lgbtq-community
Statistics show that LGBTQ adults are more than twice as likely as their heterosexual
counterparts to use illicit drugs and almost twice as likely to suffer from a
substance abuse disorder. (Ref. 1)
What makes substance abuse in the LGBTQ community so prevalent? There
are many contributing factors, and below are some of the most common triggering
issues that LGBTQ people face.
Discrimination
and Social Stigma
Despite growing acceptance in the United States, almost all LGBTQ
individuals face some level of homophobia and discrimination. This may come
from strangers, acquaintances, and even friends and family. They also face the
constant threat of workplace harassment, bullying, and even hate crimes.
Lack of
Support for LGBTQ People
Many members of the LGBTQ community choose to remain “in the closet,”
keeping their sexual identity a secret to avoid discrimination. Living this
type of double life can create feelings of loneliness and anxiety.
Those who do choose to come out often face rejection from family and
friends, and as a result often turn to substance abuse to help dull the pain.
Internalized
Homophobia
Whether or not their families and friends provide acceptance, many
members of the LGBTQ community suffer from internalized homophobia. This
happens when they self-identify with anti-gay stigmas. The result is often
self-loathing and an inability to feel comfortable in one’s own skin.
For those suffering from internalized homophobia, alcohol and drugs
serve as an effective mechanism for silencing negative thoughts. When drunk or
high, LGBTQ individuals can temporarily enjoy living as their true selves.
References:
1.
Medley, G., Lipari, R.N., Bose, J., Cribb, D.S., Kroutil, L.A.,
&McHenry, G.. (2016). Sexual Orientation and
Estimates of Adult Substance Use and Mental Health: Results from the 2015
National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Recent Incidents and Statistics about Queer Life in the US
Friends or family struggles, rejection and alienation
From the website “Stomp Out
Bullying” at https://www.stompoutbullying.org/lgbtq-bullying
Gay
teens are 8.4 times more likely to report having attempted suicide and 5.9
times more likely to report high levels of depression compared with peers from
families that reported no or low levels of family rejection. (I, Roger, would add that even in families
that are accepting, queer teens still have a higher depression rate and higher
rate of suicide attempts and completions.)
From the United States Government’s
official website “Stop Bullying” at https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/lgbtq
Results from the CDC’s “2019
Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)” (https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/2019/su6901-H.pdf) show that, nationwide, more
U.S. high school students who self-identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB)
report having been bullied on school property (32%) and cyberbullied (26.6%) in
the past year than their straight peers (17.1% and 14.1%, respectively). The
study also showed that more LGB students (13.5%) than straight students (7.5%)
reported not going to school because of safety concerns.
From
NBC's Sept 2021 article at https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/half-lgbtq-workers-faced-job-discrimination-report-finds-rcna1935
Nearly 1 in 10 LGBTQ people in the United States experienced
workplace discrimination in the last year, and almost half faced employment
bias at some point in their careers, according to a new survey.
Queer law enforcement officers harassed by co-workers
From
the Metro Weekly’s Feb 23, 2022 article at https://www.metroweekly.com/2022/02/gay-san-francisco-police-officer-awarded-225000-in-harassment-lawsuit/
A gay San Francisco police officer will receive a
$225,000 settlement in his lawsuit against the department, in which he alleged
he was routinely discriminated against and harassed by his colleagues while
superiors looked the other way.
From
Spectrum News NY1’s April 4, 2022 article at https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2022/04/04/ny1-exclusive--gay-firefighter-sues-fdny--alleging-discrimination-based-on-his-sexual-orientation
Boykins said he faced
discrimination for being gay and was subjected to slurs from his very first day
at the FDNY.
The firefighter detailed in a
Brooklyn Supreme Court complaint how he sought help from the department’s
then-chief diversity and inclusion officer, but was instead told that he should
sleep with both men and women and that others had been “cured” of their
homosexuality.
Conversion therapy
Conversion
therapy: any attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity,
or gender expression.
From Movement Advancement Project’s website at https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/conversion_therapy
Conversion "therapy" laws prohibit licensed mental health
practitioners from subjecting LGBTQ minors to harmful conversion
"therapy" practices that attempt to change their sexual orientation
or gender identity.
Only 20 states plus DC
have state laws banning conversion therapy for minors.
698,000 LGBTQ adults
(ages 18-59) in the U.S. have received conversion therapy, including about
350,000 LGBTQ adults who received treatment as adolescents.
Renting and housing loan discrimination and higher interests rates
From
NOLO’s website at https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/tenant-rights-sexual-orientation-discrimination-29843.html
Federal law does not protect gays, lesbians, or transgender
people from discrimination by landlords.
Despite being “less risky overall,” same-sex borrowers are 73
percent more likely to be denied when applying for a mortgage loan, according
to the report. When they are approved, the study found they have mortgage
interest rates that are 0.02 to 0.2 percent higher on average — potentially
adding tens of thousands of dollars to their repayments over the lifetime of
the loan.
From
Lambda Legal’s website at https://www.lambdalegal.org/node/30531
In 2012,
Lambda Legal—a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of
the civil rights of LGBT people and people living with HIV through impact
litigation, education and public policy work—conducted a national study
exploring the issue of government misconduct by the police, courts, prisons and
school security against LGBT people as well as people living with HIV in the
United States.
A total of
2,376 people completed the individual survey
Many respondents reported that police officers’ attitudes toward
them had been hostile. Among the 1682 respondents who reported having face-to-face
contact with police in the past five years, the percentages who reported
hostile attitudes from officers included:
·
21% of all relevant
survey respondents
·
31% of respondents age
30 and under
·
32% of respondents of
color (including 26% of Native American, 27% of African American and 40% of
Latina/o respondents)
·
32% of TGNC respondents
(30% of transgender)
·
35% of low-income
respondents
·
38% of respondents of
color under 30
From the June 12, 2022, NPR article,
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/11/1104405804/patriot-front-white-supremacist-arrested-near-idaho-pride :
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Law enforcement arrested 31
members of a white nationalist organization known as the Patriot Front near a
Pride event in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on Saturday, on a charge of conspiracy to
riot. The men were packed into a U-Haul truck and detained a short distance
away from the gathering, which was being held at public park.
The men, who traveled from at least 10 outside states,
are expected to be arraigned Monday on the misdemeanor count.
“It is clear to us based on the gear that the individuals
had with them, the stuff they had in their possession and in the U-Haul with
them, along with paperwork that was seized from them, that they came to riot
downtown," said Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Lee White.
From
a June 28, 2019, USA Today article https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/06/28/anti-gay-hate-crimes-rise-fbi-says-and-they-likely-undercount/1582614001/
A better gauge [than
FBI] of hate crime trends in the U.S. may be the National Crime Victimization
Survey (NCVS), a household-based survey administered by the U.S. Census
Bureau. This self-reported data suggests
that Americans experience closer to 200,000 hate crimes each year—a far cry
from the FBI’s estimate of approximately 7,500.
From a movie based on the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard in Oct 1998 titled “The Matthew Shepard Story.”
The opening scene is a
very graphic, yet somewhat tolerable to watch, still not easy, a recreation of
the beating. And, something Queer people
know could happen to them at any time. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1LXz8CmmBU
From the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) website at https://www.hrc.org/resources/fatal-violence-against-the-transgender-and-gender-non-conforming-community-in-2021
Sadly, 2021 has already seen at least 57
transgender or gender non-conforming people fatally shot or killed by other
violent means. We say at least because
too often these stories go unreported—or misreported. In previous years, the majority of these
people were Black or Latinx transgender women.
In 2020, HRC tracked a record number of
violent fatal incidents against transgender and gender non-conforming people. A
total of 44 fatalities were tracked by HRC, marking 2020 as the most violent year
on record since HRC began tracking these crimes in 2013.
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