Study: Treating Us As Equals Helps Us To Feel Healthier

Dec 19, 2011
Posted by: gaycity

A study recently published in the American Journal of Public Health has suggested that, in states where marriage equality is legal, gay men end up feeling healthier - even if they’re not married themselves.

The study, Effect of Same-Sex Marriage Laws on Health Care Use and Expenditures in Sexual Minority Men: A Quasi-Natural Experiment, looked at the differences between visits to local health clinics by gay men in Massachusetts before and after the legalization of civil marriage for same-sex couples in 2003. The results show that both visits to health care facilities and associated health care costs dropped in the 12 months following the legal change compared to the 12 months prior.

"Our results suggest that removing these barriers improves the health of gay and bisexual men,” said Dr. Mark Hatzenbuehler, lead researcher and author of the Columbia University study. “Marriage equality may produce broad public health benefits by reducing the occurrence of stress-related health conditions."

The study demonstrated a 13% drop in visits by study participants to health care facilities. In addition, participants reported a drop in problems related to blood pressure, depression, and adjustment disorders, possibly indicating a lower degree of stress in their lives.

“It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that a happier person is a healthier person,” said Gay City Health Project Executive Director Fred Swanson, adding, “eliminating sources of daily stress is an easy way to have a positive effect on someone’s physical and mental health.”

Research has indicated that being treated as a second-class citizen significantly increases the level of stress that gay men feel, having a detrimental impact on gay men’s mental health. Further research demonstrates the increased risk of HIV infection among gay men experiencing high levels of stress.

The information provided by this study could have an impact, then, in areas where full civil marriage equality has yet to be achieved. Increasing the physical and mental health for gay men, as well as lowering the related costs for health care, could be a significant benefit of legalizing marriage equality.

Category: Marriage