Study Confirms LGBT People Feel Safer and More Open in States Where Law Recognizes Same-sex Marriage

Same sex marriage vote in the Minnesota Senate” by Fibonacci Blue licensed under CC BY 2.0

Source: Quartz

A new study found that LGBT persons are more likely to feel comfortable and open to disclosing their sexuality if state legislation recognizes same-sex marriage.

The study collected data from over a decade of surveys taken of 70,000 women, who were more likely to disclose their sexual orientations over the years if they were in a state that recognized same-sex relationships. When legislation recognizes LGBT relationships, then members of the LGBT community feel safer and more open, according to the Nurses’ Health Study II.

The Harvard study found “those who reported being heterosexual in 1995 were 30% more likely to report being lesbian or bisexual in 2009 if they lived in a state which recognized same-sex relationships, compared to those who lived in states with no recognition.

Under Donald Trump’s presidency, many people of the LGBT community fear that their rights will be reversed, as Trump’s potential cabinet does not have a track record of supporting LGBT rights, such as legalization of same-sex marriage.

Read full story at: Quartz

Justice & Poverty, News
Justice & Poverty, News