Evaluation of State-Level Sexual and Gender Minority Laws for the Primary Prevention of Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence Among Sexual and Gender Minority Youth in the U.S.

University Of California Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth (including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people ages 13- 18 years), a population growing in public health visibility, experience disproportionately high risk for sexual and intimate partner violence (SV/IPV), with worse SV/IPV-related health outcomes (e.g., poor physical and mental health, suicidality) than their non-SGM counterparts across the life course. Racial/ethnic minority SGM face even greater risk for SV/IPV. Alarmingly few evidence-based SV/IPV prevention approaches address inequities in risk among SGM youth, with even fewer targeting upstream, social determinants of SGM health. In the U.S., two major social determinants of SV/IPV among SGM youth are state-level anti-SGM policies (e.g., bans on transgender healthcare, SGM gag laws) and social climates (i.e., societal-level stigma based on social norms and social conditions) that create and sustain the marginalization of SGM identities. Since 2021, there has been a rapid acceleration in the use of policy to restrict the rights of SGM people, with 170 anti-SGM laws adopted in the U.S., creating an urgent need to better understand the impact of these laws on SGM health. In contrast, SGM-affirming laws (e.g., SGM anti-discrimination, gender-inclusive facilities, SGM parental rights laws) increase equity in rights and access, reducing SGM vulnerability to SV/IPV. Moreover, social climates with low SGM stigma have high potential for buffering harmful effects of anti-SGM laws and amplifying the benefits of SGM-affirming laws on risk of SV/IPV among SGM youth, yet this interaction has not been studied. As such, the overarching goal of this research is to rigorously evaluate the causal effect of recently adopted state-level SGM laws (anti-SGM and SGM-affirming) as a primary prevention approach for SV/IPV among SGM youth and to understand the buffering or amplifying effects of SGM-related social climates. To do this, we will conduct a mixed- method quasi-experimental evaluation on the effects of SGM state-level laws passed between 2021-2025 on SV/IPV among SGM youth utilizing a difference-in-differences approach, state-representative outcome data from the Youth Behavioral Risk Survey System, and qualitative interviews with state-level providers to clarify potential mechanisms for effects. The aims of the proposed research are: 1) To estimate the causal effect of state-level SGM law adoption (anti-SGM and SGM-affirming) between 2021-2025 on risk for SV/IPV victimization among SGM youth, including racial/ethnic minority SGM youth, in the U.S.; 2) To evaluate whether the effect of state- level SGM laws on SV/IPV among SGM youth differs based on state-level social climates regarding SGM stigma; and 3) To qualitatively explore mechanisms through which state-level SGM policies and social climate impact SV/IPV among SGM youth across three states with high, medium, and low adoption of SGM-affirming laws. This research will provide critical evidence on the extent to which state-level policy interventions targeting social determinants of SV/IPV provide population-level benefit across multiple violence outcomes.