LGBTQ+ Individuals, Health Inequities, and Policy Implications

Abstract

When the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (“ODPHP”) released its Healthy People 2020 goals and objectives, it recognized the public health needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (“LGBT”) community for the first time. The stated goal of Healthy People 2020 is to “improve the health, safety, and wellbeing of [LGBT] individuals.” One barrier to obtaining the needed information for achieving this goal is a lack of necessary data collection, particularly as it regards the LGBTQ+ community. This paper will provide a basic overview of health inequities experienced by the LGBTQ+ community and introduce interventions of interest to the legal and public health communities.