The Movement Advancement Project provides independent and rigorous research, insight, and communications that help speed equality and opportunity for all.  MAP works to ensure that all people have a fair chance to pursue health and happiness, earn a living, take care of the ones they love, be safe in their communities, and participate in civic life. Check out these snapshot equality profiles for Connecticut and the United States or navigate the database by issue.

Connecticut Equality Profile

Snapshot: LGBTQ Equality by State

ILGA World maps are among the most shared visual representations of how LGBTIQ people are affected by laws and policies around the world.  The scope of their long-standing rights mapping has expanded thanks to the ILGA World Database. With that platform, ILGA maps have become interactive and constantly updated, to better cover sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics issues globally.

View the World Maps

LGBTQ young people experience significantly greater rates of both eating disorders and attempting suicide compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers (Johns et al., 2020; Parker & Harriger, 2020). Among the broader population of U.S. adults, those with a history of an eating disorder were found to have nearly 5–6 times greater odds of attempting suicide compared to those who have never had an eating disorder (Udo et al., 2019). In alignment with the minority stress model (Meyer, 2003), past studies have found higher rates of eating disorders and suicide risk among LGBTQ individuals to be related to experiences of bullying and discrimination, as well as internalized stigma based on their LGBTQ identity and the concealment of their LGBTQ identity (Parker & Harriger, 2020). Additionally, previous research indicates that particular subgroups of the LGBTQ community, such as those who are transgender or nonbinary, may be at greater risk for eating disorders (Nagata et al., 2020). A review of disordered eating among transgender individuals found that body dissatisfaction is a common stressor and places some transgender individuals at greater risk for disordered eating (Jones et al., 2015). However, less is known about eating disorders among LGBTQ youth, particularly those who are transgender or nonbinary, or youth of color. Using data from The Trevor Project’s 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health(link is external), this brief examines eating disorders among LGBTQ youth, including which particular subgroups of youth report the highest rates of eating disorders and how eating disorders relate to suicide attempts among LGBTQ youth. 

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LGBTQ youth are overrepresented among young people experiencing homelessness and housing instability in the United States. This elevated risk of homelessness and housing instability has detrimental effects on LGBTQ youths’ mental health. This report uses data from the 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health(link is external) to examine the prevalence of homelessness and various manifestations of housing instability among LGBTQ youth and their mental health symptoms. It also examines rates of homelessness and housing instability among various subgroups within the LGBTQ community and the prevalence of experiences which are frequently connected to housing instability (e.g., food insecurity). Finally, it includes recommendations for preventing and combating LGBTQ youth homelessness. 

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Sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation are key indicators of the demographic diversity in the United States.  Sex and gender are often conflated under the assumptions that they are mutually determined and do not differ from each other; however, the growing visibility of transgender and intersex populations, as well as efforts to improve measurement of sex and gender across many scientific fields, has demonstrated the need to reconsider how sex, gender, and the relationship between them are conceptualized.  This in turn affects sexual orientation, because its is defined on the basis of the relationship between a person’s own sex and that of their actual or preferred partners.  Sex, gender, and sexual orientation are core aspects of identity that shape opportunities, experiences with discrimination, and outcomes through the life course; therefore, it is crucial that measures of these concepts accurately capture their complexity.  The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine assembled this consensus report for the National Institute of Health (NIH) and other organizations for adopting practices of collecting data on sex, gender, and sexual orientation, including recommendations for standarized language to be used in survey questions.

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This open access book is a groundbreaking volume that creates a new field within the intersection of “global health” and “LGBTQ health” delineating specific health challenges and resiliencies. There has been increasing awareness of the importance in recognizing LGBTQ health issues and disparities. However, there is a dearth of research and scholarship that examines LGBTQ health through global and comparative perspectives. This book addresses this gap.  The nine chapters of this volume facilitate greater socio-political-cultural awareness, sensitivity, and competence; undertake an in-depth literature review of health factors and outcomes; and provide recommendations for increasing health-related capacity through development and collaborations between agencies, organizations, and institutions across countries and/or regions.

Global LGBTQ Health: Research, Policy, Practice, and Pathways is primarily intended for students and instructors in public health, medicine, nursing, other health professions, psychology, social work, LGBTQ or gender/sexuality studies, human rights, and the social sciences. The book is also a useful resource for public health researchers and practitioners, policymakers, and healthcare and social service providers.

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HealthLink partner organization PRIDEnet published a new report on LGBTQ older adults based on a series of listening sessions they conducted this year. Topics include health research engagement and participation, health concerns and solutions, and community building and social support. PRIDEnet is truly a leader on authentic community engagement, so the report is worth the read.  

Fenway Institute published a report on “Project 2025’s Threat to LGBTQI+ Equality, Safety, and Health, Racial and Gender Equity, and Sexual and Reproductive Health.” Project 2025 is a plan to roll back rights for LGBTQ folks, people of color, and those needing reproductive health services should a future federal administration wish to do so. This report summarizes the report’s implications so that advocates for LGBTQ and other marginalized groups are aware and more prepared. prepared.