Effect of same-sex marriage legalisation on the health of ethnic minority lesbian, gay and bisexual people
A quasi-experimental study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11179682 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yihong Bai (0000-0002-5909-1993, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada), Chungah Kim (0000-0002-9033-3874, York University), Antony Chum (0000-0002-6756-7031, York University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 79 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 117-123 |
| Publication date | 2025-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0143-005X • E-ISSN: 1470-2738 |
| Publisher | BMJ (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1136/jech-2024-222651 |
| PMID | 39389759 |
| OpenAlex | W4403295838 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 29 |
BACKGROUND: The UK legalised same-sex marriage in 2014. We examine whether same-sex marriage legalisation (SSML), an exogenous policy change, affected the health outcomes among ethnic minority lesbian, gay, bisexual and other (LGB+) individuals. METHODS: Using the UK Household Longitudinal Survey, we applied the Callaway and Sant'Anna difference-in-differences to compare physical and mental health across (a) ethnic LGB+ individuals (treatment group), (b) ethnic heterosexual individuals (control group 1) and (c) British white LGB+ individual (control group 2). The study cohort (n=7054) comprised individuals aged 16+ years at baseline in 2011, and were employed in the study period (2011-2019). The outcomes included physical component scores from the short-form 12 health survey (physical component score (PCS-12)), long-standing illnesses and psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)). RESULTS: After SSML, the PCS-12 among the ethnic LGB+ individuals improved significantly compared with both ethnic heterosexuals and British white LGB+ individuals (2.081, 95% CI 0.487 to 3.675). While no clear patterns were found for long-standing illnesses, the GHQ in the treatment group had modest decreases relative to ethnic heterosexuals, and relative to British white LGB+ individuals, by year 2 after SSML. CONCLUSION: SSML in the UK led to improved physical functioning and reduced psychological distress in ethnic minority LGB+ individuals. Our study shows that ethnic LGB+ individuals may derive even greater health benefits than British white LGB+ people, providing evidence that SSML may help address racial health inequalities within LGB+ communities. As countries worldwide consider legalising same-sex marriage, it is imperative for policymakers to consider the health consequences for sexual and ethnic minorities
Ethnic group · Homosexuality · Lesbian · Political science · Sociology · Demography · Gender Studies · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · Law · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Psychology · Reproductive Health and Technologies
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |