Study: LGBTQ Adults Less Likely To Have Jobs, Be Insured

A new U.S. study suggests sexual minorities are less likely to be employed or to have health insurance than their straight peers. According to the results published in the online journal BMJ Open, they are also more likely to report being in poorer health and having a lower quality of life. The study authors suspect these differences from straight peers come down to bias. Lead author Brittany Charlton, an assistant professor at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, said, "Previous research has shown that nearly half of all sexual minorities experience employment discrimination in their lifetime, which can lead to disparities in health insurance coverage, and ultimately to health-related quality of life. Our findings highlight the ubiquity of sexual orientation inequalities in the employment and healthcare systems."