The culture wars are all fun and games until someone's mental health is damaged. Here's new evidence that's what's happening.
In the 2004 election cycle 16 states passed amendments banning homogamous marriage (two of those were in 2005). Fortunately, the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions had conducted a large survey in 2001-2, and then followed up with the same respondents in 2004-5, including a question on sexual orientation. The sample was large enough (more than 30,000) to capture a substantial group of gay, lesbian and bisexual adults in both the states that did and those that did not pass anti-gay amendments. Researchers writing in the American Journal of Public Health reported:
Psychiatric disorders ... increased significantly between waves one and two among LGB respondents living in states that banned gay marriage for the following outcomes: any mood disorder (36.6 percent increase), generalized anxiety disorder (248.2 percent increase), any alcohol use disorder (41.9 percent increase), and psychiatric comorbidity (36.3 percent increase). These psychiatric disorders did not increase significantly among LGB respondents living in states without constitutional amendments. Additionally, we found no evidence for increases of the same magnitude among heterosexuals living in states with constitutional amendments.
Source: My chart from the article. (Numbers are percentages with a mood disorder.)
The authors can't prove the amendments (and the anti-gay/lesbian political agitation and climate leading up to them) caused the worsening of mental health, but it's not a bad hypothesis -- especially given evidence that discrimination experienced at a personal level has negative mental health effects.
Cross posted from the Family Inequality blog.
Want empirical data? Do the math. I was self-supporting until I developed mental health issues due to discrimination (specifically due to the lack of marriage equality and the continuing onslaught of anti-gay campaigns). I've been on disability since 2006, living on $7,800 a year, plus whatever the total costs are of all medical and medications. ALL TAX PAYER MONEY.
I would have preferred to still be able to work and have the same legal protections as my fellow piano teaching collegues, but no.
More reports here for the interested:
ANTI SAME-SEX MARRIAGE AMENDMENTS SPARK PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AMONG
GLBT ADULTS AND THEIR FAMILIES, ACCORDING TO NEW RESEARCH -
http://www.ct.gov/shp/lib/shp/pdf/same-sex_marriage_stress.pdf`122
The Psychological Harm of Anti-Gay Ballot Campaigns -
http://www.beyondhomophobia.com/blog/2008/11/25/anti-gay-ballot-campaigns-cause-psychological-harm/
This is a part of being a member of society. As one person said the difference between "doing what comes naturally" and principled self-restraint is called civilization. There are times in my life when I could not do what I want because of social pressure or the law, and sometimes I was busted when I did. But I also realized that I felt guilty because I was guilty.
And denying guilt gets you nowhere.
Peace.
Homosexuality is no longer considered a mental health disorder, according to the American Psychiatric Association. More and more, medical professionals are acknowledging that homosexuality is a biological trait that people are born with. It is NOT something that needs to be "cured."
Obsessive homophobia --- a condition that develops when a person chooses to focus hate on groups of people with same-sex orientations --- is a mental health disorder that is destroying society. Homophobes can probably be cured, since this is not a condition they are born with, but they have to be made aware that their obsession is a social disease that is harmful to themselves and others.
This NEVER had ANYTHING to do with marriage in the first place. And until heterosexuals are honest with themselves about that, we will continue to go in circles. This is now and has always been about heterosexuals punishing their LGBT children in any way possible.
Heterosexuals are responsible, either via nature OR nurture, for the creation of LGBT citizens. And whether people are LGBT due to nature (biological) or nurture (how you raise your children) BOTH of those are the responsibility of heterosexuals.
How, then, do heterosexuals justify making their LGBT children pay the price for THEIR 'mistakes?' And why don't heterosexuals acknowledge their responsibility in this?
Passing anti-gay laws serves one purpose and one purpose only: To abuse, degrade, dehumanize and properly 'punish' the LGBT children that are all the result of heterosexual sex.
There is seemingly little or no embarrassment or shame on the part of heterosexuals at conducting themselves in this manner right out in the open, right in broad daylight. Abusing and degrading and dehumanizing and punishing innocent human beings via un-just laws.
So, this study can hardly be considered surprising when the results of this study simply reveal the heterosexual's purpose for enacting such hateful laws against their very own offspring.
I would encourage heterosexuals to try living under the laws they have implemented for their LGBT children. Then report back as to how happy and fulfilled THEIR lives are in doing so.