Testimony Submitted by
THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
for the Hearing on
EMPLOYMENT NON-DISCRIMINATION ACT (ENDA)

February 27, 2002

The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. Its membership includes more than 155,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. Our mission is to advance psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting human welfare. We are writing to express our support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. It is the empirically-based position of our association that discrimination based upon sexual orientation is "detrimental to mental health and the public good" (APA Council resolution adopted February 1993).

Prevalence of Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation

Research has found that over one-third of GLB African Americans and more than one-half of GLB whites have experienced discrimination based upon sexual orientation (Krieger & Signey, 1997). Furthermore, depending upon an individual's race/ethnicity, discrimination based upon sexual orientation may be coupled with various other forms of discrimination. Researchers examined biases against women, African Americans, and homosexuals in hiring practices and found that African American gay men were the most likely group to be discriminated against (Crow, Fok, & Hartman, 1998).

Data on hate crimes further demonstrates how victimization based upon sexual orientation can have negative consequences for individuals. Discrimination and hatred directed at gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) individuals is manifested through higher rates of victimization than that experienced by the general population. For instance, according to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, of the 1,487 sexual hate crimes reported in 1999, nearly 69% (1,025) were directed toward male homosexuals.

A recent study found high percentages of GLB individuals reported as being the victim of a hate crime (Herek, Gillis, & Cogan, 1999). Of the nearly 2,000 GLB individuals surveyed, roughly one-fifth of the women and one-fourth of the men reported being the victim of a hate crime since age 16. One woman in eight and one man in six had been victimized within the last five years. More than half the respondents reported anti-gay verbal threats and harassment in the year before the survey.

Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) found that of the 2,900 individuals surveyed, GLB persons were more likely to attribute their discrimination to sexual orientation than were heterosexual individuals (Mays & Cochran, 2001). Over 25% of GLB respondents (compared to 2% of heterosexual respondents) indicated sexual orientation as the basis for their being discriminated against. Additionally, GLB individuals were more likely than heterosexual individuals to report that discrimination made life harder and had interfered with their leading a full and productive life.

Mental Health Effects of Discrimination

The effects of discrimination and victimization based upon sexual orientation can have far-reaching consequences. GLB individuals may experience more psychological distress than the general population, not as a result of innate biological etiology of sexual orientation, but as a result of a social context that stigmatizes homosexuality (Waldo, 1995). According to researchers, psychological distress among GLB individuals may arise from a constant state of being in a minority status that is emphasized and condemned (Meyers, 1995). Research has indicated that social stigma based upon sexual orientation may be a risk factor for psychological distress, depression, and anxiety (Cochran, 2001). In a study of 741 adult gay men, there were significant relationships between those individuals who experienced prejudicial events (e.g., insults and discrimination) and negative mental health outcomes. Similarly, other studies have linked risk of depression and suicide among gay and lesbian adolescents and adults to anti-gay discrimination (Bradford, Ryan, & Rothblum, 1994; Cochran & Mays, 1994; Meyer, 1995).

GLB individuals report higher rates of perceived discrimination than do heterosexuals (Mays & Cochran, 2001). Such perceived discrimination may interfere with an individual's psychological well-being. Researchers at UCLA examined the prevalence of discriminatory experiences and their relationship with indicators of psychiatric morbidity among GLB and heterosexual individuals. Using data from a large, nationally representative survey, the researchers asked individuals who identified themselves as either GLB (73) or heterosexual (2844) about their lifetime and day-to-day experiences with discrimination (such as their interpersonal and work experiences). The researchers also assessed one-year prevalence of depressive, anxiety, substance dependence disorders, current psychological distress, and self-rated mental health. Perceived discrimination was not only associated with stressful life circumstances, but it was also related to mental health status. Individuals who reported higher levels of discrimination were also more likely to report "poor" or "fair" mental health, psychological distress, and mental disorders.

Researchers have also examined the deleterious mental health effects of criminal victimization based upon sexual orientation. GLB persons suffer more serious psychological effects from victimization based upon sexual orientation than they do from other kinds of criminal injury (Otis & Skinner, 1996). In their case, the association between vulnerability and sexual orientation is particularly harmful because sexual identity is such an important part of one's self-concept. Gay men and lesbians who have been victimized due to their sexual orientation report feeling less safe in the world, view people as more malevolent, reveal a diminished sense of self-mastery and appear to attribute personal set-backs to sexual prejudice (Herek, Gillis, & Cochran, 1999). Hence, for gay men and lesbians, crimes based upon sexual orientation negatively impact their view of the world in addition to causing other harmful mental health outcomes (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder).

Discrimination in the Workplace

Discrimination against GLB individuals in the workplace is prevalent and has deleterious consequences. For instance, in a study of student affairs employees, over one-fourth of the 249 individuals surveyed reported having been discriminated against based upon sexual orientation during the job search process. Additionally, those individuals who disclosed their sexual orientation were more likely to report discrimination (Croteau & Destinon, 1994). Within medical settings, about one-third of the GLB physicians and medical students surveyed reported that, because of their sexual orientation, they had been denied employment, refused medical privileges, denied a promotion, loan, or referrals from other physicians, or were fired from their positions (Schatz & O'Hanlan, 1994).

Anti-discrimination policies in the workplace can also affect job satisfaction and productivity. GLB individuals are more likely to report discrimination in organizations that do not have policies against GLB discrimination. Furthermore, such policies not only affect prevalence of discrimination but also impact worker performance. GLB individuals who report higher levels of perceived discrimination based upon sexual orientation are more likely to have negative work attitudes and fewer work promotions (Ragins & Cornwell, 2001). Research has found that an atmosphere of tolerance, as demonstrated by anti-discrimination policies, may lead to higher levels of job satisfaction and job commitment among GLB individuals (Burton, 2001). A survey of 744 GLB individuals indicated positive employee outcomes for supportive anti-discrimination policies (Day & Schoenrade, 2000). The researchers found a significant relationship between self-disclosure, anti-discrimination policies, and top management support for equal rights and organizational commitment. Additionally, anti-discrimination policies and top management support were also related to job satisfaction.

Conclusions

In sum, psychological research findings indicate that GLB individuals report significantly higher levels of discrimination based upon sexual orientation than do heterosexual individuals. These findings are especially troubling given that discrimination and stigmatization may lead to greater vulnerability of negative mental health outcomes. Research documents that workplace discrimination based upon sexual orientation is common and negatively affects employees, as well as employers. However, studies have found that supportive anti-discrimination policies, as well as top management support, can help increase job satisfaction, as well as increase organizational commitment among GLB individuals. Thus, it is critical for employers to create a work environment that does not tolerate discrimination based upon sexual orientation.

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