Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
by Michael Cook, MercatorNet:
“Same-sex marriage leads to a host of social and even public health benefits, including a range of advantages for mental health and wellbeing. The benefits accrue to society as a whole, whether you are in a same-sex relationship or not.” This was the prediction of a supporter of SSM a few months before it was legalised in Australia.
This was the expectation just about everywhere, and especially in the United States, where SSM became legal after the 2015 Supreme Court case Obergefell v Hodges. It is widely believed that marriage equality generate important health benefits not only for adult same-sex couples, but also for LGBQ-identifying youths.
Well, that was four years ago for Americans. How’s that working out for LGBQ youths? Has their health improved?
Um, no.
Three economists, Mark Anderson, Kyutaro Matsuzawa and Joseph J. Sabia, have just published an important working paper in the National Bureau of Economic Research series, “Marriage Equality Laws and Youth Suicidal Behaviors”. Using data from the State Youth Risk Behavior Surveys, they explore the relationship between marriage equality and suicidal behaviours among LGBQ-identifying youths.
Their shock conclusion is that “Despite previous research suggesting otherwise, we find little evidence that SSM laws have reduced suicide attempts among teen sexual minorities, nor have they decreased the likelihood of suicide planning, suicide ideation, or depression.”
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