Majority of LGBTQ Americans experience violence, threats or sexual harassment: Study

A majority of Americans who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) say they face violence and threats because of their sexual orientation and that discrimination keeps them away from key social and health care services, according to a survey by the Harvard University School of Public Health.

The nationally representative survey asked 489 LGBTQ adults about their experiences with discrimination, with 57 percent of adults saying they or a friend have experienced threats or nonsexual harassment because of their identify. Fifty-one percent said they or an LGBTQ friend has experienced sexual harassment, and the same percentage said they or a friend experienced violence.

Thirty-four percent of LGBTQ individuals said they suffered verbal harassment or questioning before going into a bathroom.

The data is part of an ongoing survey called “Discrimination in America” that has questioned a nationally representative sample of 3,453 U.S. adults about their own personal experiences with discrimination.

“This report confirms the extraordinarily high levels of violence and harassment in LGBTQ people’s lives,” Logan Casey, the deputy director of the survey, said in a statement. “It also shows the serious barriers to health care for LGBTQ and especially transgender people in America.”

The latest analysis was published on Nov. 21 and was conducted by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for National Public Radio and the Robert Woo Johnson Foundation, a health non-profit.

The survey is unique in that it asks people about their direct experience with discrimination, in addition to their opinion or perception of prejudice in society.

Other important findings the researchers highlighted include that 16 percent of LGBTQ people report being personally discriminated against when visiting a doctor or health care clinic, and another 13 percent avoid health care services out of fear of discrimination or being treated poorly.

Also, one in five LGBTQ individuals said they experience harassment and discrimination when applying for an apartment or housing, in higher education and the workplace.

One in six say they’ve experienced discrimination when interacting with police, the report states.

“Overall, these findings illustrate the significant experiences of discrimination faced across multiple areas of life by LGBTQ people in America today,” the authors wrote in their conclusion.