Across the US, there has been a surge in the number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced, with the American Civil Liberties Union tracking more than 520 anti-LGBTQ+ bills this year alone.
Research has shown that these bills are likely to have a negative impact on the mental health of LGBTQ+ people, especially children. But in an ABC News article, one gay man is speaking out, saying laws protecting the rights of gay Americans could actually have the opposite effect.
Related:
One of our interviewees was Shane Staal, who grew up gay in suburban Ohio and felt like he couldn’t be his true self after watching Ohio lawmakers introduce and pass anti-LGBTQ+ bills.
Never miss a beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with the latest LGBTQ+ politics news and insight.
“I wish I could leave. I feel so alone,” Staal said.
“I don’t know if this is something that everyone goes through, but my experience has always been: ‘What does that person think of me? Do they think I might be gay?'” he told ABC News. “And if so, are they going to treat me differently? Are they going to say something to someone that’s going to affect my job or my ability to rent an apartment or get a car or the things I need to survive? So it was definitely very isolating and scary.”
Staal moved to California a year and a half ago and started working for a nonprofit called Equality California, a queer advocacy group in the state, and he says the move has helped him a lot.
“When you walk down the street, you see stores with gay pride flags and pride flags in their windows,” he said, “you see people providing services specifically for the LGBTQ+ community, you see a wealth of resources, you see local and state governments that want what’s best for the community and are actively working to improve our quality of life and let us know that we’re welcome and that we belong here.”
Research backs up Stahl’s experience: A 2018 study found that sexual minority men were more likely to report poor or fair health compared to heterosexual men in states with limited protections, but the same study found no differences between sexual minority and heterosexual women.
Similarly, a 2016 study of transgender veterans found that those living in states with employment non-discrimination laws were 26% less likely to suffer from mood disorders and 43% less likely to self-harm.
The mental health of LGBTQ+ Americans has been in the news lately: Another recent survey found that most same-sex couples worry that marriage equality will be overturned by the Supreme Court, which is negatively impacting their mental health.
Staal emphasized that the goal isn’t to drive LGBTQ+ Americans out of the country, but to make the U.S. more inclusive overall: “The goal shouldn’t be to move these people out, but to make their communities inclusive and welcoming places.”
“No one should feel like they or their loved ones are preventing them from living in the place they want to live and call home,” he said.
Don’t forget to share:
Good News is your queer delight. Subscribe to our newsletter to get the most positive and entertaining stories from the site delivered to your inbox every weekend. Send us your suggestions for uplifting and inspiring stories.
