LGBT life expectancy

The life expectancy of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people is a subject of research. Early research by the Cameron group purporting to find a significantly shorter life expectancy among homosexuals is not considered reliable, although it has been widely misused and cited.^[1][2][3][4] During the AIDS crisis, a loss in average life expectancy was observed among gay men.^[3][2]

In the late 2000s, research suggested "the claims of drastically increased overall mortality in gay men and lesbians appear unjustified".^[5] As of 2020, data from Sweden found no gap in mortality between homosexual and heterosexual individuals, although mortality may be higher in bisexuals.^[6] A 2022 study in the United States found no excess mortality among gay and bisexual males, but found excess mortality among bisexual and lesbian females.^[7]

There is not yet reliable research on life expectancy of transgender people,^[8] although false statistics have been widely circulated.^[9]

Early studies by the controversial psychologist Paul Cameron purported to find that homosexuals had a life expectancy 20 to 30 years shorter than heterosexuals; however his methodology and flaws make his findings unreliable.^[10][11] Cameron's methodology was described as "just ridiculous" by demographer Nicholas Eberstadt at the conservative American Enterprise Institute; and the epidemiologist Morten Frisch described his work ''of such a grave nature that no decent peer-reviewed scientific journal should let it pass for publication".^[2] Cameron had relied on newspaper obituaries which clearly referred to sexual orientation.^[10] In the 1980s, Cameron was expelled from the American Psychological Association for violations.^[2]

Another study published in 1998 by Hogg et al. modelled the impact of AIDS deaths in Vancouver between 1987 and 1992, estimating a loss of life expectancy in the gay and bisexual male population of between 8 and 20 years.^[2] The authors released a statement in 2001 clarifying that their findings would no longer be relevant as AIDS deaths had fallen significantly,^[3] primarily due to antiretroviral therapy.^[2]

Despite the flaws of Paul Cameron's research, and the limited applicability of the Hogg study, many anti-gay groups and individuals have cited these studies to characterize homosexuality as inherently unhealthy or immoral.^[12][2] Paul Cameron's research group claimed that homosexuality is "as dangerous to public health as drug abuse, prostitution, and smoking".^[5] In 1997, the U.S. secretary of education William Bennett claimed that gay men die at 43 years during a television interview, a figure from a flawed Cameron study.^[4][13]

In response to frequent misuse, Hogg et al. noted their findings would no longer be applicable in 2001.^[3] In 2003, the economist Walter E. Williams cited the Hogg study to argue that homosexuals should pay more for life insurance, stating "that's a lifestyle shortening of life expectancy greater than obesity and tobacco use".^[14] In 2012, the Australian Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen made similar claims on national television.^[1]

The Danish epidemiologist Morten Frisch carried out more robust research in 2009 using marriage data from Denmark. His study found excess mortality was limited to the first few years of marriage, consistent with men who had preexisting illnesses (such as HIV/AIDS) marrying and dying.^[1] Frisch stated "we observed a drastic reduction from 9.63 excess deaths per 1000 person-years among those who married their partner in the pre-HAART period to 1.53 excess deaths per 1000 person-years for those who married during the HAART period". According to Frisch, "the claims of drastically increased overall mortality in gay men and lesbians appear unjustified".^[5]

In 2013, Frisch also carried out another study which found excess mortality in homosexual men had shrunk further.^[15][16][17] It linked same-sex marriage with increases in life expectancy.^[15]

A 2014 study by Hatzenbuelher et al. purported to find that sexual minorities living in areas with high levels of anti-gay prejudice had their life expectancy reduced by 12 years. However, it was retracted in 2019 when it was discovered there was a coding error in the data, and that after correcting the error it "rendered the association between structural stigma and mortality risk no longer statistically significant".^[18][19]

A 2020 study in Sweden found that mortality among homosexual men and women did not significantly differ from heterosexuals, although it was elevated for bisexual men and women.^[6]

A 2022 study in the United States found no excess mortality among gay or bisexual males, but there was excess mortality among sexual minority females.^[7]

According to Bosson et al. "the systematic research needed to determine the average life expectancy of transgender people has not yet been conducted".^[8]

One unsubstantiated statistic widely circulated in the media claims that the life expectancy of transgender women of color is only 35 years old; however, this is not corroborated by any research.^[9] According to sociologist Laurel Westbrook, this inaccurate statistic was calculated by averaging the age of transgender murder victims. This is an erroneous methodology for calculating life expectancy, as murder victims are not a representative population of transgender people.^[20]

Several studies have been conducted that indicate that transgender individuals have an increased mortality rate, however these studies have not modelled life expectancy.^{[21][22][23][24][25]}

• Life expectancy
• Anti-LGBT rhetoric
• Epidemiology