LGBTQIA+ People Should Vote Like Their Lives Depend on It

Opinion by David Grant

As Executive Director of The Health Collective I am calling on every member of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as our allies, to recognize the stakes of the upcoming presidential election. It is about our lives, well-being, and the future of our health care.

Policies shaped at the highest levels of government directly affect access to inclusive, affirming health care for LGBTQIA+ people. This includes protections for transgender health care, mental health services, and equitable insurance coverage for our community.

The current political climate has seen efforts to restrict LGBTQIA+ rights, including access to essential care. The ACLU is tracking 530 anti-LGBTQ bills in the United States, 112 of which impose healthcare restrictions.[1]

Many health and societal issues disproportionately impact the LGBTQIA+ population, including chronic and mental illness, discrimination in healthcare and employment, and difficulty securing housing.[2] Yet a recent report on the well-being of LGBTQIA+ people in Greater Hartford found that LGBTQIA+ people report suffering more discrimination in the health care setting than self-identified heterosexual, cisgender people. Transgender people are more than twice as likely to face discrimination in the healthcare setting and four times more likely to miss medical care.[3]

Youth are especially at risk. This is one reason The Health Collective has agreed to resurrect the True Colors SOGIEcon (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression), the largest conference for LGBTQIA+ youth in the country. The conference will be held March 21 to 22 at the University of Connecticut, its home from when it was run for years by the now-defunct organization True Colors.

Supportive federal, state, and municipal governments are key to continuing to support the health and dignity of the LBGTQIA+ population. This election represents a critical juncture.

Health care is a human right, and it’s one we’ve fought tirelessly to protect. A vote for candidates who support LGBTQIA+ health and safety is a vote to preserve the progress we’ve made and to push for even greater equality. Silence, however, only risks further erosion of our hard-won rights.

We cannot afford to be bystanders. Our lives, health, and dignity are on the ballot. I urge each of you to register, vote, and make sure that our voices are heard. This election is a health issue. Vote like your life depends on it — because for many of us, it truly does.

David Grant is executive director of The Health Collective, a Hartford-based organization offering compassionate, judgment-free care to all individuals, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or ethnicity.

[1] https://www.aclu.org/legislative-attacks-on-lgbtq-rights-2024

[2] https://ctdatahaven.org/reports/lgbtqia-resident-wellbeing-greater-hartford

[3]  https://ctdatahaven.org/reports/lgbtqia-resident-wellbeing-greater-hartford