The US Supreme Court’s decision that same-sex couples anywhere in the United States have a right to marry could improve the health of gay, lesbian and bisexual people, experts say. “We know that marriage does enhance people’s health,” said Richard Wight, a community health researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Public Health. “There’s the potential for marriage to enhance the health of sexual minorities,” Wight said.
Bonus: A recent study that Wight and colleagues conducted found that sexual minorities, who were in same-sex marriages, were no different than married heterosexuals in terms of their general level of psychological stress. In contrast, same-sex couples, who were in relationships that were not legally recognised, had the highest levels of psychological distress.
In this way, the right to marriage may have the potential to offset differences in mental health between sexual minorities and heterosexuals, Wight said. Another study, which surveyed more than 2,600 people who were gay, lesbian or bisexual, found that those who were in marriages, civil unions or registered domestic partnerships reported lower levels of stress, fewer depressive symptoms and more meaning in their lives than those who were in committed relationships without a legal status.
“Cohabiting doesn’t seem to give you the same improvements in health or protections for health that marriage does,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “Thanks to this ruling, same-sex couples can now enjoy health benefits of marriage equal to those of opposite-sex couples,” he said.
