Massachusetts Health Officials Release Results of Survey on Health of LGBT Community

Transgender, bisexual residents report worse health outcomes

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) today released the results of the largest survey to date comparing the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) residents to heterosexual and non-transgender residents in Massachusetts.

“This is an important survey that will help address the scarcity of research on the health of the LGBT community here in Massachusetts,” said DPH Commissioner John Auerbach. “We know from our other efforts on health disparities that stigma, stress and discrimination can contribute to poorer health outcomes. This is particularly relevant when we look at the responses from transgender and bisexual residents who participated in this survey. We have work to do to ensure that our public health efforts are reaching these populations, and also that we are paying attention to the specific health needs of the LGBT community as a whole,” Commissioner Auerbach added.

The survey was done in collaboration with the Williams Institute at UCLA Law School, with assistance from MassEquality, a grassroots organization that promotes equality for the LGBT community. It included questions on a number of health indicators including access to care; self-reported health status; use of alcohol and tobacco; mental health; preventative health screening tests; and chronic disease. The results of nearly 1,600 completed surveys show that the health of lesbians and gay men is comparable on most measures than heterosexuals in Massachusetts, but that transgender and bisexual persons report the highest level of health disparities.

In response to behavioral health questions, transgender residents reported the highest number of days in the past month feeling depressed and anxious (7.8 days). Nearly 31% of transgender respondents reported that they considered attempting suicide in the past year — a far greater percentage than heterosexual (2%), gay or lesbian (4%) or bisexual (7%) respondents. Nearly 35% of transgender respondents reported that they have been threatened with physical violence during their lifetime by an intimate partner — two and a half times the percentage reported by non-transgender persons (14%) responding to the survey. Eighteen percent of bisexuals reported a threat of violence during their life by an intimate partner, followed by 14% of gay and lesbian respondents.

“In a state known for its landmark health care legislation, it’s wrong that this disparity exists,” said Scott Gortikov, Executive Director of MassEquality. “The results of this survey remind us of how important it is to achieve legal protection for the transgender people in our state.”

A positive outcome of the state’s landmark health care reform law is that all respondents — regardless of sexual orientation — reported high rates of health insurance. The health insurance rate among transgender persons was the lowest with 92% reporting that they currently have insurance. Same-sex marriage also appears to have had a positive impact on access to health insurance, with 29% of same-sex married individuals reporting that they had received insurance through the employer of their spouse. That rate was substantially higher than the 5.9% health insurance rate reported by same-sex couples who were not married.

In response to a question about whether they considered their health to be excellent, very good, fair or poor, heterosexual respondents reported the highest percentage (82%) responding excellent or very good. Gay men and lesbians followed with 78% reporting excellent or very good health, and 73% of bisexuals saying that they considered their health to be excellent or very good. Transgender persons reported the lowest percentage of all groups in the survey with 67% of respondents reporting excellent or very good health.

Bisexual women represented the lowest percentage of women (44.6%) responding that they had ever had a mammogram. Heterosexual women and lesbians reported similar percentages at 58.8% and 58.3%, respectively. There was a four percent difference among lesbian, heterosexual and bisexual women on reporting whether they had ever had a pap smear during their lives, with 90% of lesbians saying they had been screened as compared to 94% for heterosexual and bisexual women.

The results from the survey on lesbian, gay and bisexual respondents mirror a major study released by DPH in November 2008, which showed health disparities among those groups on several health indicators. That report — the nation’s first statewide study on the health of lesbian, gay and bisexual residents — did not include data on transgender persons.

Download the Report

The Health of Lesbian, Gay and Transgender Persons in Massachusetts (PDF) | RTF

Download a Spanish Verion of the Report

Autoridades de Salud de Massachusetts Dan A Conocer Resultados de Una Encuesta de Salud Sobre La Comunidad Lesbiana, Gay, Bisexual Y Trans (PDF) | RTF

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