Consistent with the minority stress perspective, lesbian/gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals on average report worse health than... Show moreConsistent with the minority stress perspective, lesbian/gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals on average report worse health than heterosexual individuals in several domains, e.g., general health, mental health, physical health, and health care access. Intersectionality-based research shows that LGBT-POC are, on average, at even greater risk for adverse health outcomes compared to their White LGBT counterparts. Discrimination and social cohesion may be two mechanisms underlying these between- and within-group disparities, given their broader relations to health and their relatively high frequency within marginalized populations. This study used data from the Chicago Department of Public Health to examine broad health differences between LGBT White and LGBT-POC individuals, and to test specific mediations models in which social cohesion mediated links between discrimination and health. LGBT-POC reported experiencing worse general health, lower access to health care, more experiences of discrimination, and lower feelings of social cohesion than did White LGBT individuals. No mediation effects emerged, however there was a direct effect of experiencing discrimination on mental health distress. Further, discrimination exposure related inversely to feelings of social cohesion. Study strengths, limitations, and implications are discussed. Show less
