Study shows lesbian, bisexual women are more likely to die earlier

A new study has revealed that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) women are more likely to die earlier than straight women. 

It was always largely understood that LGBTQ+ people are more likely to experience mental health or substance abuse issues, which could contribute to premature death. But a study into how chronic illness affects these groups has never been looked into, until now.

Lesbian and bisexual women are more likely to die up to 37% earlier than heterosexual women according to the Nurses Health Study II, which examined the risk factors of chronic illnesses, as well as tobacco and alcohol use, and mental health, in women. 

The worrying statistics looked into women’s medical records as far back as 1989, and showed “participants identifying as lesbian or bisexual had markedly earlier mortality during the study period compared with heterosexual women”, according to the study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. 

Lesbian women were found to die 20% sooner, and bisexual women 37% sooner than their heterosexual counterparts due to “systemic and highly reproducible health disparities for LGB people, particularly LGB women”.

The study’s lead author, Sarah McKetta told NBC News: “We’ve seen disparities in tobacco use and alcohol use, in mental health, in chronic disease. Basically, pretty much any outcome that we’ve looked at across multiple surveys, we see that lesbian, gay and bisexual women are at higher risk.

“We also know it’s due to levels of discrimination, ranging from structural to individual,” McKetta told the outlet. In fact, 2024 report from The American Cancer Society found that homophobia or transphobia can indirectly increase the chances of queer people developing cancer.

Bisexual women have a higher risk of premature death due to “dual pressures given their identity, and they experience discrimination from both inside and outside of queer spaces,” according to McKetta. 

“One of the things that I was worried about with this study is that the takeaway would be that it kills to be gay,” McKetta admitted. “It doesn’t kill to be gay. It kills to be discriminated against. And that’s the lived experience of lesbian and gay women and bisexual women who are just trying to walk through the world.”

Readers affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans free on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.