LGBT adults in California face increased risks of firearm violence

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Key takeaways

416,000 LGBT adults in California seriously thought about suicide in the past year, according to pooled data from the 2021 and 2022 California Health Interview Survey. This includes an estimated 31,600 LGBT adults who live in households with firearms.

Among LGBT adults, people of color and younger adults were more likely to be worried about being a victim of gun violence than white and older adults.

More than 82,000 bisexual people (1 in 20) experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner in the past year. This includes an estimated 7,600 bisexual adults who live in households with firearms.

Though a smaller percentage of LGBT adults in California had firearms in their households than non-LGBT adults, they reported higher rates of risk for firearm-related injury or mortality, including serious thoughts of suicide in the previous year and intimate partner violence, according to a new study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

Additionally, in analyzing data from the 2021 and 2022 California Health Interview Survey, or CHIS, researchers found that more lesbian, gay, bisexual and trangender adults in California (55%) reported that they were “somewhat” or “very worried” about being a victim of gun violence than non-LGBT adults (45%). California is home to an estimated 2.9 million LGBT adults.

“What we found in our study demonstrates a clear need for enhanced suicide and violence prevention efforts focused on LGBT people in California,” said Kerith Conron, lead author and formerly the Blachford-Cooper Research Director and Distinguished Scholar at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law.

The study, which was supported by the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research, found that more than three times as many LGBT adults reported they had serious thoughts about suicide in the past year compared to non-LGBT adults (15% vs. 4%). Serious thoughts about suicide were more common among LGBT than non-LGBT adults across all racial and ethnic groups.