The Health of Sexual Minorities

Some books break myths. Others break silences. A few break new ground. The Health of Sexual Minorities achieves all three aims.

The first book of its kind, this resource offers a multidimensional picture of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) health across clinical and social disciplines to give readers a full and nuanced understanding of these diverse populations. Here are real-world matters of definition and self-definition (including sexual identity, gender identity, and anti-identity), meticulous analyses of stressor and health outcomes, a extensive coverage of research methodology concerns, and critical insights into the sociopolitical context of LGBT individuals' health and lives.

- Developmental issues across the lifecourse

- Human rights and ethical issues

- Global perspectives of LGBT health

- Physical and mental health issues

- Issues and concerns of racial/ethnic minority groups

- Health concerns of lesbian and bisexual women

- Prejudice and homophobia as social stressors

- A comprehensive review of quantitative and qualitative research methodology

- Tobacco, alcohol, and substance use issues

- The current state of LGBT health care and strategies for improvement

- The impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on LGBT communities

The Health of Sexual Minorities is an advanced-level text whose scope and accessibility makes it useful to a broad audience. Over 50 contributors have made this a work of crucial importance to public health and health care professionals and biomedical and social science researchers. The Health of Sexual Minorities encourages clear thinking, informed practice, and effective, progressive policy for improved health and well-being of LGBT individuals and communities.

" The Health of Sexual Minorities is a welcome and much needed comprehensive text focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender(LGBT) populations, chiefly in the U.S. but also globally. Of use to researchers, practitioners, and advocates alike, the text covers key conceptual, methodological, and substantive issues. Its critical analysis of how unjust sexual hierarchies harm health exemplifies why LBGT health and health care issues must be analyzed and addressed in context: in relation to gender, class, racism, and the ways in which sociopolitical conditions shape LGBT identity and health."

--Nancy Krieger, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health