LGBTQ+ People

LGBTQ+ people are individuals whose gender, sexual orientation, and/or romantic orientation is different from the heterosexual, cisgender norms most commonly-accepted in our society. LGBTQ+ is an umbrella acronym that references an incredible diversity of nuanced human identities, including: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Agender, Two Spirit, Nonbinary, Gender Fluid, Genderqueer, Gender Non-Conforming (GNC), Asexual, Aromantic, Demisexual, Demiromantic, Pansexual, Graysexual, Questioning, and many more.


LGBTQ+ people belong everywhere. They deserve to live open, authentic lives without fear of discrimination, harassment, judgement, or violence. Despite decades of tireless advocacy, however, LGBTQ+ people still experience disproportionately worse health outcomes, endure ongoing discrimination, and are four times more likely to experience violence than their straight and cisgender peers. These disparities are often further compounded by isolation and a lack of access to appropriate primary and mental health care. LGBTQ+ individuals who are Transgender, disabled, youth, and/or people of color are most impacted.


There are many factors–both historical and contemporary–which give rise to and perpetuate these harsh disparities. One significant factor is the lack of consistent legal protections regarding gender identity, expression, and sexual/romantic orientation. Decisions and policies—such as appropriate use of force by law enforcement, bathroom rights, businesses’ rights to refuse service, HIV criminalization laws, and transgender healthcare standards—vary dramatically by state and local jurisdiction. When layered with similar lack of protections against racial injustice, the risks are even more significant for LGBTQ+ people of color.


Equal rights, personal safety, equitable health outcomes, and social inclusion and belonging are all fundamental building blocks of individual and community wellbeing. LGBTQ+ people deserve to live fulfilling lives as their authentic selves, safe in their home communities. When we advocate for the wellbeing of marginalized community members, we advocate for the wellbeing of entire communities.


Changes to policies and laws that protect LGBTQ+ people at home, at work, and in public, regardless of their state or local jurisdiction, can improve LGBTQ+ peoples’ wellbeing at scale. Local communities can support LGBTQ+ businesses, create safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth, push for EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) trainings, and advocate for policies that protect LGBTQ+ people from violence, harassment, and discrimination in all aspects of their lives.


     

Resources & Tools


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Priority Populations Channel
Resource - Data Bank/repository
Brought to you by Community Commons
Staff Pick!
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Taking Action to End Gun Violence: Our Top Tools, Resources, Stories, and Data
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Illustration of six people standing side-by-side, each with a different color shirt (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) and their pronouns written across their chest.
Beyond Allyship: Leveraging Activism Tools to Improve Transgender and Nonbinary Health
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 01/26/2022
Illustration of six people standing side-by-side, each with a different color shirt (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) and their pronouns written across their chest.
Beyond Inclusion: Pronoun Use for Health and Well-Being
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Photo of a person with dark skin holding two stacks of gold coins. One stack is half the size of the other stack.
The Growing Gap: Gender Pay Equity, Meaningful Work, and Wealth during COVID-19
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Screen capture of Trans Health Project - Medicaid Regulations And Guidance
Trans Health Project - Medicaid Regulations And Guidance
Resource - Data Bank/repository
Brought to you by Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund
Shutterstock image: LGBTQI Trauma and Internalized Shame
LGBTQI Trauma and Internalized Shame
Resource - Website/webpage
PDF Cover: LGBT People with Disabilities
LGBT People With Disabilities
Resource - Report
Screen shot of In Common Newsletter: Thriving Campuses Toolkit
In Common Newsletter: Thriving Campuses Toolkit
Resource
Brought to you by Community Commons
PDF Cover: Blueprint for Positive Change 2020
Blueprint for Positive Change 2020
Resource - Policy Brief
Screenshot of webpage: Talking about Pronouns in the Workplace
Talking about Pronouns in the Workplace
Resource - Guide/handbook
Cover page of Inclusive Bathroom Signage Recommendations document
Inclusive Bathroom Signage Recommendations
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by State of Washington Office of Financial Management
Screen grab of Ask an Advocate
Ask an Advocate
Resource - Podcast
Brought to you by APHA
Screenshot of webpage: Transgender Workplace Rights on Lambda Legal website
Transgender Workplace Rights
Resource - Website/webpage
First page of LGBT fact sheet
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Persons & Socioeconomic Status
Resource - Fact Sheet
Brought to you by APA
Screen shot of In Common Newsletter: Beyond Allyship
In Common Newsletter: Beyond Allyship
Resource
Brought to you by Community Commons
Screenshot of website cover: LGBT Foundation: Evidence Exchange
LGBT Foundation: Evidence Exchange
Resource - Website/webpage
PDF Cover: Queer Reproductive Justice
Queer Reproductive Justice?
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by Elsevier, Inc.
Screenshot of webpage: Model Local Education Agency Policy on Transgender and Nonbinary Students
Model Local Education Agency Policy on Transgender and Nonbinary Students
Resource - Model Policy
Brought to you by GLSEN
PDF Cover: LGBTQ-Inclusive Data Collection: A Lifesaving Imperative
LGBTQ-Inclusive Data Collection: A Lifesaving Imperative
Resource - Report
Brought to you by Human Rights Campaign
Screen capture of website landing page: Eating Disorder Statistics
Eating Disorder Statistics
Resource - Fact Sheet
condom packaging on red background Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash
Bright Spot: d-up: Defend Yourself!
Resource - Model Policy
Brought to you by 100MHL
Screenshot of webpage: Transgender Public Accommodations and Rights on National Center for Transgender Equality website
Transgender Public Accommodations and Rights
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by National Center for Transgender Equality
screenshot of the homepage of the resource
GLSEN Pronoun Guide
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by GLSEN
Screenshot of website cover page: LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center
LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center
Resource - Website/webpage
Screen capture of top of web article: Eating Disorders in LGBTQ Populations
Eating Disorders in LGBTQ Populations
Resource - Website/webpage
Screenshot of article photo: LGBTQ Health: The Data Trail
LGBTQ Health: The Data Trail
Resource - Journal Article
Screen capture of Protecting Transgender Rights to Ensure Health Equity for All blog post
Protecting Transgender Rights to Ensure Health Equity for All
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by HealthBegins
Cover page of Federal Evidence Agenda on LGBTQI+ Equity
Federal Evidence Agenda on LGBTQI+ Equity
Resource - Report
Brought to you by National Science and Technology Council
Screenshot of webpage on Lambda Legal website: Transgender Incarcerated People in Crisis
Transgender Incarcerated People in Crisis
Resource - Website/webpage
Screenshot of PDF Fact Sheet Cover: Transgender People and Bathroom Access
Transgender People and Bathroom Access
Resource - Fact Sheet
Brought to you by National Center for Transgender Equality
Screenshot of webpage: Know Your Rights: LGBTQ Rights
Know Your Rights: LGBTQ Rights
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by ACLU
Screen Capture of top of newsletter: The Growing Gap: Gender Pay Equity, Meaningful Work, and Wealth during COVID-19
In Common Newsletter: The Growing Gap
Resource
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 03/23/2022
PDF Cover: LGBT Data Collection
LGBT Data Collection
Resource
Brought to you by Center for American Progress
Screen shot of top of article: Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ Identities: Today and Centuries Ago
Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ Identities: Today and Centuries Ago
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by Human Rights Campaign
Screenshot of webpage: Informed Consent Model for Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy
Informed Consent Model for Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
PDF Cover Page: LGBTQ+ and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Experiences and Challenges
LGBTQ + and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Experiences and Challenges
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by Taylor & Francis
Focus Population: LGBTQ People
Focus Population: LGBTQ People
Resource - Fact Sheet
Brought to you by Well Being Trust
Screenshot of Searchable LGBTQ Resource Database webpage
Searchable LGBTQ Resource Database
Resource - Website/webpage
Screen capture of top of web article: Identity & Eating Disorders
Identity & Eating Disorders
Resource - Data Bank/repository
Image of transgender person in a wheelchair leaving a care facility
Protecting and Advancing Health Care for Transgender Adult Communities
Resource - Report
Brought to you by Center for American Progress
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Ask an Advocate: LGBTQ Health Caucus
Story - Video
Brought to you by APHA
Screen capture of The Trans Community of Christopher Street
The Trans Community of Christopher Street
Story - Written
Brought to you by TNY
Screen capture of The Anti-Trans Panic Is Rooted in White Supremacist Ideology article.
The Anti-Trans Panic Is Rooted in White Supremacist Ideology
Story - Written
Brought to you by Truthout
Published on 05/19/2023
Screen capture of Sylvia Rivera
Sylvia Rivera
Story - Written
Graphic of rainbow squares fading into white
LGBT Data: Who Is Helping to Fill the Gap?
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 01/19/2017
Close-up photo of two people holding hands, and rainbow light reflected on their hands
LGBTQ+ People and Identity-Based Stress
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Screen capture of Disability Justice Is LGBT Justice: A Conversation with Movement Leaders article
Disability Justice Is LGBT Justice: A Conversation With Movement Leaders
Story - Audio
Brought to you by Center for American Progress
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Counting All in Our Communities: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Screen capture of The Anti-Drag Bills Sweeping the U.S. Are Straight From History's Playbook article
The Anti-Drag Bills Sweeping the U.S. Are Straight From History's Playbook
Story - Written
Brought to you by NPR
Published on 03/06/2023
On Being Podcast Page
Transgender Amid Orthodoxy: I Am Who I Will Be
Story - Audio
Brought to you by On Being
Screen capture of top of blog post: I'm a Queer Youth in Recovery from an Eating Disorder
I’m a Queer Youth in Recovery from an Eating Disorder
Story - Written
Brought to you by GLSEN
Collage of activists protesting for trans rights
Taking Action for Trans Rights: Our Favorite Tools, Resources, and Data
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Screenshot of cover photo: LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Index 2022
Healthcare Equality Index 2022
Tool - Data/mapping Tool
Screen capture of Snapshot: LGBTQ Equality by State webpage
Snapshot: LGBTQ Equality by State
Tool - Data/mapping Tool
Screenshot of cover logo: American Values Atlas
American Values Atlas
Tool - Data/mapping Tool
Screenshot of website cover: LGBT Data and Demographics
LGBT Data and Demographics
Tool - Data/mapping Tool
Screenshot of data tool slides: Imagine Fox Cities: Well-Being Data Tool
Imagine Fox Cities: Well-Being Data Tool
Tool - Data/mapping Tool
Queering the Map
Queering the Map
Tool - Data/mapping Tool

Data & Metrics


Collage of images of LGBTQ+ people with transparent overlays in progress pride flag colors. At the top, bold white text on a charcoal background reads
LGBTQ+ Health Equity Library
Library
Published on 03/01/2022

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