The October 2010 issue of the American Journal of Public Health adds 2 more substantial pieces to the growing body of literature regarding the negative public health consequences of the discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the United States.1,2
Of likely interest to readers of the Journal, at the annual meeting of the Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA) in Indianapolis on September 26, 2010, the House of Delegates became the first state medical society to pass a resolution supporting gender equity in marriage and civil unions3:
Whereas, legal marriage status confers numerous financial and legal benefits upon married individuals that improve access to health care;
Whereas, better access to health care results in lower overall mortality;
Whereas, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) community has diminished access to health care;
Whereas, the LGBT community suffers from significantly worse mental and physical health outcomes compared with the community at large;
Whereas, the American Medical Association, at the November 2009 convention, acknowledged that same-sex marriage bans do contribute to health disparities in the US;
Whereas, evolving medical/social science literature attest to the health benefits conferred by the social and legal recognition of same-sex marriage;
Whereas, the ISMA is a body that is to be guided in its decision-making by science, reason, and public policy standards that promote the health and well being of all Indiana citizens;
Whereas, same-sex marriage equality has not been demonstrated to have any deleterious consequences for society in general;
Therefore, be it resolved that the Indiana State Medical Association
(1) recognizes that exclusion from civil union or marriage contributes to health care disparities affecting same-sex households;
(2) will work to reduce health care disparities among members of same-sex households, including minor children; and
(3) will support measures providing same-sex households with the same rights and privileges to health care, health insurance, and survivor benefits, as afforded opposite-sex households.
It is notable that this came from a state and a medical organization not generally known for taking socially progressive positions.
References
- 1.McCabe SE, Bostwick WB, Hughes TL, West BT, Boyd CJ. The relationship between discrimination and substance use disorders among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2010;100(10):1946–1952 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2.Conron KJ, Mimiaga MJ, Landers SJ. A population-based study of sexual orientation identity and gender differences in adult health. Am J Public Health. 2010;100(10):1953–1960 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 3.Buffie W. Indiana State Medical Association Resolution 10–02A: Same-Sex Marriage: Public Health Implications. Indianapolis, IN: Indiana State Medical Association Annual Meeting; September 26, 2010 [Google Scholar]