Policy recommendations to promote health and well‐being in sexual and gender minority populations in the United States

Abstract

AbstractThis narrative review examines literature informing policy and laws relevant to the health and well‐being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) adult populations. Empirical factors related to structural stigma, specifically policy and law, were examined. Empirical studies examining structural stigma and health‐related outcomes in LGBTQ+ populations have proliferated since the publication of the Institute of Medicine's The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People (2010) and Hatzenbuehler's theoretical work on stigma‐related influences on LGBTQ+ health. Databases were searched using a priori terms. Over 2,100 articles were identified that included original data from the United States since 2010. Studies identified for inclusion (n = 78) were roughly evenly split according to whether results related to the influence of federal‐, state‐, or local‐level policies on LGBTQ+ adults’ health. Policy recommendations center around the expansion of anti‐discrimination law and policy, abolishment of law and policy that restricts access and rights of LGBTQ+ adults, supplemental training in relevant cultural competencies, and the provision of additional resources for vulnerable subpopulations of LGBTQ+ adults.