Understanding and Tackling Health Disparities in LGBTIQ+ Communities Across the Globe
Tabea Hässler (Department of Psychology, University of Zurich),
Sophie Stephan (Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Zurich),
Martin Gramc (URPP Human Reproduction Reloaded | H2R; European University Institute),
Clarissa Janousch (Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich; University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm)),
Lea Babette Winter (Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich),
Léïla Eisner (Psychologisches Institut & Schweizer LGBTIQ+ Panel)
Despite significant progress in recognizing the rights and societal acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) people, substantial social and legal inequalities continue to affect LGBTIQ+ communities worldwide. LGBTIQ+ people still encounter prejudice, discrimination, and systemic inequalities that hinder their access to essential services, including proper healthcare and legal protections. In some regions, they face criminalization and pathologization, which further exacerbate their vulnerabilities. These persistent social and legal injustities undermine fundamental human rights, negatively impact health and well-being, and hinder global efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals—particularly those related to good health, gender equality, justice, strong institutions, and reducing inequalities.
Research highlighting the detrimental effects of social and legal inequalities on LGBTIQ+ people has been instrumental in depathologizing and decriminalizing the community, fostering greater awareness and prompting policy reforms. Nonetheless, enacting and implementing legal changes is a lengthy process, and currently, the LGBTIQ+ community faces a global anti-LGBTIQ+ movement threatening the rights that have been hard-won over years of advocacy. This underscores the urgent need to deepen our understanding of how best to support LGBTIQ+ people within their diverse regional contexts, recognizing the unique challenges each faces.
For many in the LGBTIQ+ community—who frequently confront prejudice, social rejection, and feelings of loneliness and social isolation—building and strengthening resilience and social support networks is therefore vital. Historically, the LGBTIQ+ community has built strong networks of social connection both within the community and through allies, providing education, counseling, healthcare, and support systems that promote a sense of belonging, resilience, and improved health outcomes. In the present project, we aim to better understand how these culturally-centered support systems can promote the belonging, health, and well-being of LGBTIQ+ people.
Building upon the SNSF-funded global LGBTIQ+ health project (led by Tabea Hässler) with over 100 scholars from more than 60 countries, we aim to explore how various factors—individual, group-related, and structural—affect the health and well-being of LGBTIQ+ people across different contexts worldwide.
As a diverse group of scholars committed to transdisciplinary research, our goals are to:
- Foster sustainable collaboration within the University of Zurich and with scholars, practitioners, and key institutions around the globe.
- Advance the emerging field of global LGBTIQ+ health by bringing together experts from diverse disciplines.
- Enhance understanding of health and well-being by integrating theories of minority stress and social support.
- Examine similarities and differences in experiences of discrimination and social support among various subgroups, considering intersecting identities such as race, ethnicity, disability, and socioeconomic status.
- Generate practical insights to inform targeted interventions and policies that aim to reduce health disparities and promote equity within LGBTIQ+ communities.
Through this work, we hope to contribute to creating a more inclusive and equitable world where all people can enjoy optimal health and well-being, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or intersex status.