A Lack of Perceived Safety May Do More Harm to LGBTQIA+ People than Exposure to Discriminatory Events

Research by UCLA psychoneuroimmunologist, George Slavich, found that even if human beings never encounter discrimination or direct stress, they continue to move through the world without being able to take their safety for granted. University of Utah psychology professor, Lisa Diamond and doctoral graduate Jenna Alley, recently published a new theory in the journal, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. Based on Slavich’s findings, the theory states that “It’s not just the presence of stress that’s killing us… it’s the absence of social safety.” Their findings are in conflict with previous research, which assumed that it was actual exposure to discriminatory events that caused the most damage.

Many studies undertaken over the past few decades have shown that LGBTQIA+ teens and adults have higher rates of mental illness than the general population. One study showed that depression is now a bigger mental health risk for gay and bisexual men than HIV. Higher level of cardiovascular problems have also been found in LGBTQIA+ individuals. Up until now, it has been assumed that these health disparities could be attributed to “minority stress.” This term was coined by epidemiologist, Ilan Meyer of UCLA. He defined it as the cumulative burden that results from being exposed to violence or discrimination; the kind that reinforces one’s stigmatized or minority status.

Frequent sexual orientations in current society include homosexuality, bisexuality, bicuriosity, pansexuality, asexuality, queer, androsexuality, gyenesexuality, and more. Kinsey’s research from the 1940s was the first to explain that the vast majority of people rated somewhere in the middle of what is actually a wide spectrum of sexuality. Today, the world prides itself on being more diverse and inclusive, yet it is not unusual to encounter news stories and social media entries indicating that discrimination is very much still a tremendously harmful force to contend with.

Diamond and Alley based their groundbreaking theory on research conducted in 2020 by psychoneuroimmunologist, George Slavich. He explained that the need for evolution prompts human beings to be watchful for situations that could cause them physical or social harm. For instance, when the human body perceives an unsafe situation as a physical threat, it responds by altering immune system function. When stress is chronic, it can pose a “multi-level biological threat” that lowers our immunity to viral infractions and diseases related to inflammation. Heart disease is just one of many illnesses that are strongly linked to inflammation.

Diamond and Alley postulate that human beings receive various cues (such as someone smiling at them, offering them a seat, or opening the door for them) which together make them feel connected to something larger than themselves. However, people who experience stigma (including sexually or gender-diverse individuals) may not experience this sense of safety. They may incessantly monitor their social surroundings, fearing that something threatening could ensue. This continuous state of vigilance can trigger inflammation and cause disease and dysfunction.

Feeling alone and marginalized puts people into a hyper-vigilant state. This state can cause the body to respond as though it were in a situation of danger. Inflammation and susceptibility to infections are both evidence of the importance of feeling connected and supported in one’s social setting.