Academic says risk factor is not sexual orientation but society’s treatment of sexual minority people
Life expectancy for people who identify as gay, bisexual or another sexual orientation in England and Wales was approximately a year lower than their heterosexual counterparts, according to the first analysis of its kind by the Office for National Statistics.
The life expectancy for men who identified as LGB+ was 1.2 years lower than men who identified as straight, at 59.4 years and 60.7 years respectively.
For women, the life expectancy for those identifying as LGB+ was 0.9 years lower, compared with women who identified as straight, at 63.0 and 64.0 years respectively.
Broken down by sexuality, the life expectancy for men and women who identify as gay or lesbian was 59.3 years and 62.8 years respectively.
