Suicides in Poland have increased amid country’s anti-LGBT bills, research states
The paper has drawn parallels of the effects of Poland's “LGBT-free zones” to proposed “bathroom bills” across the USA
By Adam Lawler
Suicides in Poland have increased by 16 percent in the country’s so-called ‘LGBT-free zones’, a study states.
Produced by Lehigh University, in collaboration with USA’s National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), the study found that suicide attempts increased by an additional five per 100,000 after the enactment of anti-LGBT+ legislation.
The paper’s lead researcher Dr Chad Meyerhoefer of Lehigh University said, “Our findings suggest that stigmatisation of minority groups leads to declines in population mental health.
“These types of discriminatory actions lead to stress, feelings of isolation, and hostility.”
“LGBT-Free zones” are municipalities and regions in Poland that openly declare themselves as unwelcoming to LGBT+ rights or “ideologies”.
By June of 2020, approximately 100 municipalities and 5 voivodeships (provinces), largely across the country’s southeast, had adopted resolutions to be marked as such zones.
The rise in “LGBT-free zones” can be attributed to the previous right-wing government of the Law and Justice party (PiS), which encouraged these zones and stoked anti-LGBT sentiment across Poland.
“The effect of deliberating resolutions on suicide attempts is at least as large as the effect of enacting statutes” – The study’s lead researcher
The study also found that deliberating adopting anti-LGBTQ+ laws also caused a substantial increase in suicide attempts, even when the proposed legislation was rejected.
Dr Meyerhoefer added, “Since the areas that enacted and deliberated anti-LGBT statutes have different characteristics, it is challenging to make direct comparisons, but the effect of deliberating resolutions on suicide attempts is at least as large as the effect of enacting statutes.”
The paper has drawn parallels of the effects of “LGBT-free zones” to proposed “bathroom bills” across the USA, which seek to prohibit transgender or gender-non-conforming individuals from using the bathroom of their choice.
The study proposes such restrictive laws could have a wider societal impact, as Dr. Meyerhoefer added , ”Although laws in the U.S. tend to focus on the school environment (either depictions of LGBT individuals in literature, or bathroom access), they still generate social conflict over the right of LGBT individuals to freely express their gender identity.”
The full study can be read here. [PDF]