Date of Creation
12-15-2022
Degree Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Dr. Tsitsi Masvawure
Abstract
The following thesis seeks to answer the question of how policy debates surrounding the rights of queer Americans affect their mental health. It also seeks to use theories of minority stress and stigma to address how these pressures appear in social and political contexts. It will draw connections between society, policy, and psychological wellbeing, looking beyond the individual and to environmental stressors as explanations for decades of mental health disparity. It will explore two particularly impactful moments in LGBTQ+ policy – the Defense of Marriage Act and Obergefell v. Hodges – in order to support the position that policy affirming the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans improves their mental health, while policy that attacks those rights harms it. Special thanks to my fall semester internship site, the Human Rights Campaign, for providing the inspiration for the topic this thesis focuses on. Throughout it, resources from the nonprofit will be featured, honoring its significance to LGBTQ+ advocacy in the United States and the journey to marriage equality.
Recommended Citation
Gajda, Mia, "For better or for worse? Impacts of Marriage Equality Policy on LGBTQ+ Mental Health" (2022). Washington Semester Program. 5.
https://crossworks.holycross.edu/washington/5
Comments
Written for Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies at the College of the Holy Cross.