West Virginia’s legal landscape puts the state’s 57,800 LGBT adults and 10,300 LGBT youth at risk of discrimination and harassment. The social, economic, and health effects of stigma and discrimination against LGBT people negatively impact West Virginia’s economy by tens of millions of dollars each year, according to a new study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law.
In the study, researchers assessed the prevalence and impact of several forms of stigma and discrimination against LGBT people in West Virginia, including harassment and discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations; harassment and bullying in schools; and family rejection of LGBT youth.
“West Virginia’s economy could benefit from the creation of a more supportive legal landscape for LGBT people,” said lead author Christy Mallory, Renberg Senior Scholar and Legal Director at the Williams Institute. “Including sexual orientation and gender identity in the state’s non-discrimination laws would be a step in that direction.”
Key Findings
Many LGBT people in West Virginia experience economic instability.
- 39% of LGBT adults in West Virginia reported having an annual household income below $24,000, compared to 26% of non-LGBT adults, according to Gallup data. Similarly, 33% of LGBT adults in West Virginia reported that they do not have enough money for food, compared to 20% of non-LGBT adults.
- 14% of LGBT adults in West Virginia reported that they were unemployed compared to 7% of non-LGBT adults, according to Gallup data.
LGBT people in the state experience negative health outcomes associated with stigma and discrimination.
- Research indicates that stigma and discrimination contribute to adverse health outcomes for LGBT adults, such as major depressive disorder, binge drinking, substance use, and suicidality.
- LGBT adults in West Virginia are significantly more likely to have been diagnosed with a depressive disorder, to binge drink, and to smoke than non-LGBT adults: 40% of LGBT adults in West Virginia reported having been diagnosed with a depressive disorder compared to 23% of non-LGBT adults; 18% of LGBT adults reported binge drinking compared to 10% of non-LGBT adults; and 43% of LGBT adults in the state reported that they currently smoke compared to 25% of non-LGBT adults, according to data from the 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey.
Health disparities for LGBT people negatively impact West Virginia’s economy.
- Reducing the disparity in major depressive disorder between LGBT and non-LGBT people in West Virginia by 25% to 33.3% could benefit the state’s economy by $22.7 million to $30.8 million annually in increased productivity and reduced health care costs each year.
- Reducing the disparity in binge drinking by the same proportion could benefit the state’s economy by $10.4 million to $13.3 million in increased productivity and reduced health care costs each year.
Reducing the disparity in current smoking by the same proportion could benefit the state’s economy by $18.0 million to $24.5 million in increased productivity and reduced health care costs each year.