Health inequalities are differences in health experiences and outcomes which arise through the everyday circumstances of people’s lives and the appropriateness of the systems put in place to support them. Such differences stem from social inequalities. As they can be alleviated through social policy, they are a key concern for global public health.

In an international context, the World Health Organization (WHO) [4] has developed an equity framework for the Social Determinants of Health which identifies structural determinants including the socio-economic context, the processes of government, public policies, cultural and social value together with people’s protected characteristics.

However, while gender, social class and ethnicity are acknowledged as influences on people’s circumstances, living conditions, health behaviors and psychosocial well-being; the influence of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) on health equity for LGBT+ people is overlooked. This contributes to the subordinate status of SOGI in international policymaking, practice developments and the funding of research to inform evidence-based decision-making.

The USA has so far contributed the largest body of work in LGBT+ inequalities in health and social support [14]. In this Special Issue, we sought to include studies from other countries to reflect their growing contribution to these debates. In our call for papers, we aimed to give voice to those under-represented in LGBT+ research and the collection includes scholarship about the needs and experiences of LGBT+ people who are older, disabled, trans and gender diverse people, people with disabilities and intersex people.

The Special Issue aims to shed light on the mechanisms which link SOGI with health and well-being to promote evidence-based policy and to frame initiatives for their implementation. This Special Issue is partly shaped by a recent agenda-setting paper [15] which called for greater and more robust data to inform international policy developments. To this end, the authors advocated seven criteria on which to build a robust field of research to support international and national government initiatives aimed at tackling LGBT+ health inequalities.

This Special Issue contributes to understanding the social conditions in the lives of LGBT+ people which lead to health inequalities. The rationale for addressing them is to promote LGBT+ equality and human rights in health. Studies have explored the experiences of groups that have historically been under-researched including LGBT+ people with disabilities, indigenous peoples, trans, gender diverse and intersex people enabling researchers and policymakers to understand the heterogeneity within LGBT+ communities.

You can have access to the full issue here.