Dr. Ilan H. Meyer of the Williams Institute has presented a new study in which she presents that that the current social stigma and inequality of being LGBT increases stress and reduce well-being of gays, lesbians, bisexual, and transgendered individuals.
According to Dr Meyer’s study that besides traumatic events such as hate violence, abuse, or discrimination, day-to-day moments when LGBT individuals feel the need to “worry” or “hide” — any slight occasion when they are unsure about their safety or acceptance because they are LGB can impact the health of the individual experiencing it.
The findings show that in addition to life events—such as antigay violence, abuse, and discrimination in hiring or promotion—participants describe homophobia, racism, and sexism as enduring and pervasive social forces that chronically and systematically exclude them from social institutions. In thinking about life without homophobia, racism, and sexism, participants revealed that, indeed, minorities experience society as anything but harmoniously fitting. Researchers need to pay greater attention than they have to date to describing these stressors and understanding their effects. Among these stressors are minor events and conditions that are mostly intangible. Prominent among these were experiences such as not being able to walk down the street freely because of the fear of expressing affection to one’s intimate partner.
So in a nutshell. HATE HURTS. In the closet and out of it.
Where I suppose its grand to have a “study”. I hope they didn’t spend too much money because I could have told them that for free.