Older LGBT Adults Face Chronic Illness, Other Health Challenges

[Behind the Aegis]

LGBT adults are more likely than their non-LGBT peers to report certain health-related challenges and negative impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a July report from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).

The report, which was based on findings from a nationally representative survey of adults ages 18 to 64, helps illuminate some of the long-standing health disparities experienced by people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or “something else” other than straight.

"There is a lack of data in terms of health data for LGBT people,” says report author Lindsey Dawson, associate director of HIV policy at KFF, who notes that this poses a challenge for policymakers and researchers seeking to address the community's health needs. “[In] doing our report, we've certainly sought to add to the knowledge base.”

Health conditions and provider experiences
Among the disparities highlighted in the findings is health status: LGBT respondents were more likely to report being in fair or poor health than their non-LGBT counterparts, and a higher share of LGBT people reported having an ongoing health condition that requires regular monitoring, medical care or medication.

Among LGBT adults 45 to 64, for example, more than three-quarters (77 percent) said they have a chronic health condition, compared to 54 percent of non-LGBT people in that age group.

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[lambchopp59]

1. Long term depression, PTSD

rampant in LGBT population as well. Article mentioned substance abuse without mentioning root cause of that.
So much of the straight population remains unaware of how much media, business, schools (regionally) and general social interaction has been geared exclusively for straights, it becomes tear-jerking celebration when we do get recognized as EXISTENT.
Every one of us has experienced, undoubtedly, the casual homophobic remark from some dipshit, as though there's no one in any large gathering to offend. Fess up, millennials and beyond: "That's so gay" generally hasn't been complimentary.
I still get thrown with the objections even some DU members hold against the rainbow flag. Perhaps it's this unawareness of exactly how suicidally hazardous the total social isolation that some desire for all of us LGBT can be, or cause of homelessness, the dead-end substance abuse that solves nothing.

But recently perhaps, with the advent of a veritable American Taliban seeking to eliminate Democrats, "liberals", immigrants, dark complexion, non-christians as undesirables... Imagine for just a minute these Trumpers were a large majority of the population and all hints of one's political stance had to be kept a deep, dark secret, and an inkling realization of what a lot of our boomer, Gen X generations lived through. The horrors of internment camps actually suggested as "solutions" to LGBT by harebrained preachers. Depressing thought...

How many right here on DU may breeze thru the likes of above snippet with a shrug because "It doesn't affect me"?
I don't mean to disparage democrats, heaven knows the party largely has a better understanding of diversity by a long shot and almost exclusively a better educated membership.
Some, perhaps just because the general taboo talk of sexuality in general remains a bit "freaky".
Yet there are even some in my own family, dedicated Democrats that still have the "unwelcome" mat out for me.