Happy Pride Month!
Happy Pride Month!
June is national Pride month: a time to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community and its history. Pride month is set in June to remember the historic Stonewall riots. The riots marked the beginning of a liberation movement that inspired individuals and communities around the country to organize and take action to support LGBTQIA+ rights. While there has been substantial progress since Stonewall in 1969, more needs to be done at every level of daily life to support the community.
The LGBTQIA+ Community & Substance Use Disorder (SUD)
The LGBTQIA+ community faces a heightened risk for SUD development, healthcare inequalities, and stigma and discrimination. This often occurs because individuals turn to alcohol or drugs as a form of self-medication to cope with prejudice related to the community. In 2018, people in the LGBTQIA+ community reported using opioids at a rate 6% higher than the overall adult population. In addition to SUD, LGBTQIA+ individuals report greater odds of mental distress and depression, and LGBTQIA+ children have higher levels of depression, suicide rates, self harm, and eating disorders. While many treatments of SUD involve holistic health practices, mental health is often essential for treatment outcomes.
While these disparities are clear, additional studies show programs that offer specialized treatment groups for gay and bisexual men showed better outcomes compared to non-specialized programs. Research suggests these groups are more effective because treatment better addresses unique factors in these patients’ lives that may include homophobia/transphobia, family problems, violence, and social isolation. Despite this, only 7.4% of programs offer these specialized groups for LGBTQIA+ patients.
While unfortunate disparities regarding SUD, mental health, and treatment persist, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is encouraging states to consider LGBTQIA+ needs when using grants from the organization. Additionally, the organization is expanding its research on the LGBTQIA+ community through its national data collection on SUD.
Be an Ally!
Allies are people who demonstrate support for the community and are willing to engage in conversation and action to help achieve LGBTQIA+ equality. All allies of the LGBTQIA+ community look and sound different. Some allies feel comfortable advocating and pushing specific policies to help other communities, and others are still learning about LGBTQIA+ rights and may not feel comfortable speaking about it. Wherever you fall on the spectrum of being an ally, make sure to challenge yourself to become a better advocate every day.
Eight ways to be a better Ally this Pride Month
- Start conversations by sharing your name and pronouns and asking others to do the same.
- Start using genderless language to greet others.
- Spend time listening to friends/family in the LGBTQIA+ community if they choose to share their experiences.
- Watch a documentary, read an article or book, or listen to a podcast on LGBTQIA+ history.
- Encourage important figures in your area to create meaningful action on LGBTQIA+ issues.
- Have conversations with other people about LGBTQIA+ equality and encourage them to also learn more.
- Shop at an LGBTQIA+ owned business.
- Support organizations that support LGBTQIA+ individuals and youth.
