By L.K. Regan

A study published in the American Journal of Public Health has been getting a lot of press for confirming an old stereotype—which has masked its more troubling implications. The study seems to indicate that gay men are somewhat slimmer than their straight counterparts, while lesbians are heavier than straight women. But the more important finding is a shared and unfortunate quality: gays, lesbians and bisexuals all face greater health risks than straight people of either gender.

The researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, and John Snow Inc., used a behavioral risk factor survey involving 67,000 Massachusetts residents, aged 18 to 64 and surveyed between 2001 and 2008. Here's the much-vaunted weight difference that they found: 21 percent of straight men are obese, according to the survey, versus 14 percent of gay men; 26 percent of lesbians, on the other hand, are obese, versus 17 percent of straight women. But we should look at the rest of the study's rather grimmer findings. The researchers found that gays and lesbians (who formed 2 percent of their sample) and bisexuals (who formed 1 percent) were, they write, "more likely to report activity limitation, tension or worry, smoking, drug use, asthma, lifetime sexual victimization, and HIV testing."

Unlike previous studies that focused primarily on sexually transmitted diseases and mental health issues in the gay community, this study included measures of general health and chronic illness. And in these areas, things are not good: gay men smoke more, and are less likely to get prostate-specific antigen tests. Lesbians also smoke more, and have increased risk of heart disease. Bisexual men and women have the most troubling health profile, with the least access to health care, increased risk of suicide, and elevated heart disease risk. Overall, the LGBT community is at elevated health risk, a fact that the media focus on weight differences fails to capture.

The study's lead author, Kerith Conron of Northeastern University and the Harvard School of Public Health, suggested that, “This may mean that we in the public health community need to come up with more tailored messages to reach these groups, just as car dealers do when they want to reach a specific target audience." The choice of metaphor is perhaps unfortunate, but the idea is sound: a public health agenda that takes seriously the gay community's specific needs.

mygrrrlz wrote:

i'm a bit late, but will comment anyway. maybe it is beacause i live in the country and the majority of my gay friends also live in the country, or that most of us are over 50, but this article absolutely does not apply to me, or my reality. i have been a vegetarian/vegan since i was 14, am a life long outdoor lover- hiking, back packing, cycling, kayaking in the summer. cross country skiing, snoe showing in the winter. have never smoked, drink a beer every now and then, or a glass of wine. have complete physicals every 3 years, including the psa test mentioned. my friends are pretty much in the same boat. we take care of ourselves, look out for each other, encourage the best from one another.
i do hear what you guys are saying from my few city friends, and i tell then they need to get away from that environment.most likely all this holds true for straight people as well.
like others here have commented, each of us needs to take responsibility for our lives, and we all need loving, supportive friends.

Jul 18 2:01 PM

WindsorOntarioCanada wrote:

If I could describe it like this...the gay male world is like a rich school district that refuses to admit any of its students have drug/alcohol problems, or for the sake of appearances, since we look good then we are good. A lot of us have come out, and that's good, but the message in coming out has been lost. It used to be an emotionally healthy route to go down, because it was a way of celebrating and stating that differences are okay, we don't have to be like everyone else, and in theory it's a very life-affirming thing. Unfortunately, the people on the other end of the rainbow - the gays that we come into contact with after coming out - are even more destructive, mean, addicted and sick than any of the straight people who gave us shit during out teen years. It's as if other gay men are happy to see each other fail, but absolutely hate it when they see other gay men happy or doing well at something. This is why I have generally avoided cities with large gay male populations - they tend to be overachievers and perfectionists, and view themselves as much more important than they really are. I have never gotten along with anyone who has that self-importance and indifference towards the rest of us. So what ends up happening, whether you live in New York City or Fairbanks, Alaska is most gay men, after a while, have nothing to do with one another. Together we sink. We don't do well in large groups nor can we organize because we just end up fighting amongst each other about what our civil rights platform is.

We're sick because of our emotional problems. Straight people, while they are coming around, are still not very supportive or understanding of our lives. Other gay men tend to have no interest in the lives of other gay men unless they are sexually attracted or can get something from him. It's as if most of us have no safe place to go; when that starts to sink in, it's damn scary. You don't want to go anywhere. You don't want to meet anyone becau

Jul 09 10:44 PM

Medic911 wrote:

I don't find this shocking at all. I'm 21 and guys my age are always at the club, getting drunk, smoking, doing drugs and eating fast food. They stay skinny, not by exercise, but because they are unhealthy. Furthermore, they all sleep around and transmit each other's diseases. Add into it that most of them have nothing higher than a high school diploma, keeping them from jobs and careers that provide insurance and you've got yourself a formula for healthcare disaster.

I take pride in the fact that I am not at all like most gay guys. I'm a gay man who spends most of his time rock climbing, swimming, running and being active. I eat healthy, nutritious, organic and all-natural foods grown by local farmers. I don't smoke, and I don't even drink soda, let alone alcohol. But most gay men do not share my kind of lifestyle.

I'm in the medical field and most of my patients are unhealthy because of years of unhealthy decisions. You make your own fate, don't blame the stigma of being gay for your poor decisions.

Jun 24 3:29 PM

curiouser wrote:

The stress and difficulty of finding/maintaining a partner. The stress of dealing with one's own HIV status and those of our friends and loved ones. The continued isolation from our families and communities when many of us come out. The fears and stress of being discovered when one is in the closet. The confusion of wether to conform or not to the "norms" of straight society. The lack of support from greater society, government, and friends when we do find a partner for long term concerns. The fear of being physically attacked, killed, fired or ostracized simply for our sexual and romantic proclivities.

This is not shocking in the least! Until our society as a whole accept us as "OK", our community will be at risk. Even a psychological risk/fear is incredibly stress inducing. This study tells me nothing new, unfortunately.

Jun 24 4:08 AM

Moishendlishus wrote:

I think this study is not shocking at all. In many ways the gay community is known for excess. I would stand to wager we (younger) drink more than the straight community as well. We just tend to live "balls to the wall" as a form of self expression in many ways

Jun 19 10:00 PM

ErikTaurean wrote:

Since the article references 'confirming an old stereotype', then it is safe to assume another: One of the main reasons gay men are thinner than straight men is that, like it or not, body image is more of a concern to gay men than straight men and I would venture to also say more important to straight women than gay women. Again, body image. As the other commenter said, we may be thinner, but not necessarily healthier. It would seem to me that body image is more important in our community of gay men than being healthy is.

Jun 19 7:54 AM

woofydude wrote:

I still think that as a whole, gay men are thinner because they watch what they eat more than straight guys.

Whether we are healthier, is a different story.

But then again, we have suffered far more with HIV than straight men or lesbians. So various health issues and perceptions are part of the mix.

My motto, stay healthy in mind, body and spirit. Love your fellow gay man, buddy bond when possible, and by all means, give Mega hairy muscle hugs whenever you can.

Jun 18 4:42 PM