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LGBTQ+ Health

Call for Papers

In ceNew Content Itemlebration of Pride Month and in support of UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) "To ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages" and SDG5 "Achieve gender equality", BMC Public Health has launched a collection on LGBTQ+ Health. 

The LGBTQ+ population experiences inequalities with regards to health care and health outcomes while also facing discrimination in their daily lives. From access to health to primary and specialized care, this population faces barriers that need to be overcome world-wide. We welcome submissions exploring:

• Health disparities in the LGBTQ+ population

• Disease epidemiology in the LGBTQ+ population

• Development of inclusive public health programs to tackle LGBTQ+ health inequalities

• LGBTQ+ individuals’ perceptions and experiences as health care users

• Professional training and education on LGBTQ+ health

• LGBTQ+ mental health

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process overseen by our Guest Editors, Dr Monica Malta (University of Toronto) and Dr Wangnan Cao (Brown University).

Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you have carefully read the submission guidelines for BMC Public Health.

Data sets and descriptions relevant to the collection will be considered in BMC Research Notes as Data Notes. You can find out more about this article type here. This type of content will be published in BMC Research Notes and included in the final collection.

Articles submitted to this collection will be published immediately following completion of peer-review and editorial acceptance. Articles submitted after 31st August 2022 will be not eligible for inclusion in the collection.



The existence of the SDGs represent a major milestone for inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons globally

Learn more about SDG3 'Good health and well-being' and Springer Nature's SDG program

Learn more

Learn more about SDG5 'Gender Equality' and Springer Nature's SDG program

Learn more

Meet the Guest Editors

Monica Malta

Dr. MonNew Content Itemica Malta's primary affiliation is at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and she is also affiliated with the University of Toronto. She has been engaged in global health research focusing on social and structural factors influencing health inequalities and the impact of gender-based violence among the LGBTQ2S community from Latin America. Her work informed several interventions and contribute to change local legislations protecting the human rights of LGBTQ2S persons, aiming at decreasing discrimination, violence and stigmatization of this population.


Wangnan Cao

WangnanNew Content Item Cao, PhD is a Research Associate at Brown University School of Public Health. She has been committed to addressing determinants and health impacts of various behaviors related to HIV prevention and treatment among LGBTQ. She has worked with national and international universities in the area of LGBTQ health, including Karolinska Institutet, Peking University, and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She serves as an Editorial Board Member for BMC Public Health, BMC Infectious Diseases and Psychology of Men and Masculinities.

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  1. Sexual and gender diverse people face intersecting factors affecting their well-being and livelihood. These include homophobic reactions, stigma or discrimination at the workplace and in healthcare facilities,...

    Authors: Erik Lamontagne, Vincent Leroy, Anna Yakusik, Warren Parker, Sean Howell and Bruno Ventelou
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2024 24:215
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Globally, young gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (YMSM) experience a disproportionate burden of disease compared to young heterosexual men and older MSM. However, YMSM experience major inequit...

    Authors: Samuel Waweru Mwaniki, Peter Mwenda Kaberia, Peter Mwangi Mugo and Thesla Palanee-Phillips
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2024 24:52
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. There is a lack of reliable data on the size, characteristics, and experiences of sexual and gender minority (SGM) young people (ages 10–24) in low- and lower-middle- income countries (LMICs). This review exam...

    Authors: Cara Frances, Camille Garnsey and Jessica DeMulder
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:1664
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  4. Patients who identify as 2SLGBTQIA + report negative experiences with physiotherapy. The objectives were to evaluate student attitudes, beliefs and perceptions related to 2SLGBTQIA + health education and worki...

    Authors: Codie A. Primeau, Holly T. Philpott, Kyle Vader, Janelle Unger, Christina Y. Le, Trevor B. Birmingham and Joy C. MacDermid
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:1661
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  5. We aimed to explore socioeconomic inequality, health inequity, and the well-being of transgender people during the COVID-19 crisis in Nigeria.

    Authors: Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan, Anna Yakusik, Amaka Enemo, Aaron Sunday, Amira Muhammad, Hasiya Yunusa Nyako, Rilwan Mohammed Abdullah, Henry Okiwu and Erik Lamontagne
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:1539
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. Affirming socio-cultural settings are essential for protecting the mental health and wellbeing of lesbian, bisexual or pansexual, trans and gender diverse, asexual and queer (LGBTQA +) youth. However, limited ...

    Authors: Natalie Amos, Adam O. Hill, Jami Jones, G. J. Melendez-Torres, Marina Carman, Anthony Lyons and Adam Bourne
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:1421
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. When individuals in the SGM group are diagnosed with cancer and undergo treatment, they experience changes in physical, mental, sexual and spiritual dimensions, which can negatively impact sexual desire, as we...

    Authors: Tássia Santos Rodrigues, Ricardo Souza Evangelista Sant’Ana, João Paulo Zerbinati, Lucas Nascimento Souza, Anderson Reis de Sousa, Christine Maheu and Simone de Godoy
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:1269
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  8. According to the minority stress theory, stigma affects the health of marginalized populations. Previous stigma research has focused on the health effects of individual and interpersonal stigma, paying less at...

    Authors: Felicitas Falck and Richard Bränström
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:1031
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  9. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has killed more than six million people and disrupted health care systems globally. In the United States alone, more than one million people have died from COVID-19 infectio...

    Authors: Gilbert Gonzales, Emilio Loret de Mola, Lee Robertson, Kyle A. Gavulic and Tara McKay
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:967
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  10. Body image concerns are prevalent and are viewed as risk factors for engaging in unhealthy weight control behaviors (UWCBs), such as purging, fasting, and the misuse of laxatives and diet pills. Studies have a...

    Authors: Alvin Tran, Mabintou Darboe, Anirudh Goyal and Nick Birk
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:838
    Content type: Research Published on:

  11. A large amount of new HIV infections worldwide is observed amongst key populations which include e.g., commercial sex workers or transgender people and their respective sexual partners. Therefore, this study e...

    Authors: Shermeen Bano, Rahla Rahat and Florian Fischer
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:635
    Content type: Research Published on:

  12. Studies consistently show an increased risk of poor health among sexual minorities (i.e., those identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual [LGB] or other non-heterosexuals individuals), as compared to those identif...

    Authors: Richard Bränström, Jurgita Narusyte and Pia Svedberg
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:454
    Content type: Research Published on:

  13. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Queer, and people of any other minority sexuality or gender identity (LGBTQ + or “Queer”) are often marginalised from accessing quality primary healthcare (PHC) in their lo...

    Authors: James J. Lucas, Rojan Afrouz, Andrew D. Brown, Sarah Epstein, Joleen Ryan, Joshua Hayward and Sharon L. Brennan-Olsen
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:387
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  14. Men who have Sex with Men being sexual minorities are a vulnerable section of society and are at greater risk of ill-treatment if they are ‘out of the closet’ regarding their sexuality. Previous evidence suggests...

    Authors: Suraj Pal, Praveen Kumar Pathak and Margubur Rahaman
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:320
    Content type: Research Published on:

  15. Sexual minorities are at a higher risk of suffering from depressive symptoms compared with heterosexual individuals. Only a few studies have examined the conditions of having depressive symptoms within differe...

    Authors: Junjie Lu, Jiarui Yang, Jingyang Liang, David Mischoulon and Maren Nyer
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:294
    Content type: Research Published on:

  16. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across the globe and is associated with significant clinical and humanitarian burden. The desire for parenthood has been described to be positively correlated with psy...

    Authors: Falk Batz, Eva Lermer, Sonia Lech, Grace O’Malley, Alaleh Zati zehni, Davina Zenz-Spitzweg, Sven Mahner, Joachim Behr, Christian J. Thaler and Pichit Buspavanich
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:232
    Content type: Research Published on:

    The Publisher Correction to this article has been published in BMC Public Health 2023 23:609

  18. Brazil was strongly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of the pandemic on sexual and gender minorities’ youth remains unknown. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibo...

    Authors: Carina C. Santos, Fernanda W. de M. Lima, Laio Magno, Fabiane Soares, Dulce Ferraz, Alexandre Grangeiro, Eliana Miura Zucchi, Marie Préau, Xavier Mabire, Helen R. S. S. Matos and Inês Dourado
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:61
    Content type: Research Published on:

  19. The purpose of this exploratory study was to identifying demographic factors and unique predictors of ON e.g., the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), the use of social media and the Grindr ® dating applic...

    Authors: Piotr Karniej, Jesús Pérez, Raúl Juárez-Vela, Iván Santolalla-Arnedo, Vicente Gea-Caballero, Pablo del Pozo-Herce, Anthony Dissen and Michał Czapla
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2023 23:58
    Content type: Research Published on:

  20. In collaboration with members of the transgender and gender diverse (TGD) community, we created a didactic resource about the unique needs of TGD youth.

    Authors: Andrés Martin, Jillian Celentano, Christy Olezeski, Justin Halloran, Brent Penque, Jemel Aguilar and Doron Amsalem
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:2427
    Content type: Research Published on:

  21. Little is known about transactional sex (TS) (selling and buying sex) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Sweden, especially among foreign-born MSM. This study aims to assess the prevalence and risk facto...

    Authors: Sara Causevic, Mariano Salazar, Anna Mia Ekström, Torsten Berglund, Kristina Ingemarsdotter Persson, Mikael Jonsson, Jonas Jonsson and Susanne Strömdahl
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:2412
    Content type: Research Published on:

  22. Prior studies indicate that older members of LGBTQ+ communities have specific health provision and health information needs related to coping with COVID-19, its long-term effects, and the social and economic i...

    Authors: Huizi Yu, Lizhou Fan and Anne J. Gilliland
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:2338
    Content type: Research Published on:

  23. While there is growing research considering the experiences of transgender youth whose identities align with the gender binary, especially among young trans women, there are significantly fewer studies that ac...

    Authors: Joshua A. Rusow, Marco A. Hidalgo, Sam Calvetti, Meg Quint, Su Wu, Bethany C. Bray and Michele D. Kipke
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:2312
    Content type: Research Published on:

  24. HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication that prevents the acquisition of HIV. It has been targeted towards men who have sex with men (MSM). Since its introduction there have been concerns raised ar...

    Authors: Adam Dale Newman Williams, Fiona Wood, David Gillespie, Zoë Couzens, Kathryn Hughes and Kerenza Hood
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:2222
    Content type: Research Published on:

  25. To investigate whether perceived attitudes of family and peers toward same-sex marriage (SSM) is a type of distal sexual minority stressor, as defined in minority stress theory, this cross-sectional study exam...

    Authors: Chih-Cheng Chang, Hsin-Yu Lu, Yu-Ping Chang, Ching-Shu Tsai and Cheng-Fang Yen
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:2143
    Content type: Research Published on:

  26. The HIV epidemic still high among key-populations in Brazil, especially among transgender women (TGW). The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HIV infection among TGW and to analyze factors ...

    Authors: Beo Oliveira Leite, Laio Magno, Fabiane Soares, Sarah MacCarthy, Sandra Brignol, Francisco Inácio Bastos and Inês Dourado
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:2120
    Content type: Research Published on:

  28. Little is known about the access to measures of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services among sexual minority communities in China, where sexuality-related stigma and discrimination remains high. The aim...

    Authors: Yun Liang, Jiayi Hee, Chunxiao Peng, Chunyan Li, Wenzhen Cao and Kun Tang
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:2075
    Content type: Research Published on:

  29. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to generate an unprecedented impact on all aspects of everyday life across the world. However, those with historically and currently marginalized identities (i.e., gender or eth...

    Authors: Alíxida Ramos-Pibernus, Sheilla Rodríguez-Madera, Ernesto Rosario-Hernández, Fabián Moreta-Ávila, Julián Silva-Reteguis and Eliut Rivera-Segarra
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:2017
    Content type: Research Published on:

  30. Black sexual minority men (SMM) ages 30 and older are under-represented in HIV studies in sub-Saharan Africa, despite being at increased risk of HIV infection and contributing to potential onward HIV transmiss...

    Authors: Amy Crandall, Happy Phaleng, Jagadīśa-devaśrī Dacus, Oshin Bista, Pierre Brouard, Dawie Nel, Vasu Reddy, Theo Sandfort and Justin Knox
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:1923
    Content type: Research Published on:

  31. Research indicates that tailored programming for sexual and gender minority (SGM; e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) people, compared to non-tailored programming, is effective for reducing the d...

    Authors: Cory J. Cascalheira, Emily C. Helminen, Thomas J. Shaw and Jillian R. Scheer
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:1908
    Content type: Research Published on:

  32. Previous studies report vast mental health problems in sexual minority people. Representative national proportion estimates on self-identifying LGB+ persons are missing in Belgium. Lacking data collection rega...

    Authors: Lotte De Schrijver, Elizaveta Fomenko, Barbara Krahé, Alexis Dewaele, Jonathan Harb, Erick Janssen, Joz Motmans, Kristien Roelens, Tom Vander Beken and Ines Keygnaert
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:1807
    Content type: Research Published on:

  33. Transgender individuals are considered at high risk of contracting HIV infection. Integrating HIV testing and counseling (HTC) services into current transgender health programs is necessary to increase its upt...

    Authors: Zypher Jude G. Regencia, Aisia V. Castelo, Patrick C. Eustaquio, Yanyan S. Araña, John Oliver L. Corciega, John Danvic T. Rosadiño, Ronivin G. Pagtakhan and Emmanuel S. Baja
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:1755
    Content type: Research Published on:

  34. Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals disproportionately experience disparate health outcomes compared to their cisgender peers. This study aimed to collect qualitative data from a sample of TGD com...

    Authors: Merrily LeBlanc, Asa Radix, Lauren Sava, Alexander B. Harris, Andrew Asquith, Dana J. Pardee and Sari L. Reisner
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:1741
    Content type: Research Published on:

  35. The mediators of the association between familial attitudes toward sexual orientation and internalized homonegativity among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals have not been well examined.

    Authors: Chung-Ying Lin, Mark D. Griffiths, Amir H. Pakpour, Ching-Shu Tsai and Cheng-Fang Yen
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:1465
    Content type: Research Published on:

  36. Most HIV cure-related studies involve interrupting antiretroviral treatment to assess the efficacy of pharmacologic interventions – also known as analytical treatment interruptions (ATIs). ATIs imply the risk ...

    Authors: Danielle M. Campbell, Karine Dubé, Portia D. Cowlings, Patricia Dionicio, Rowena M. Tam, Harsh Agarwal, Jamila K. Stockman, Judith D. Auerbach, John A. Sauceda, Amy A. Conroy and Mallory O. Johnson
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:1317
    Content type: Research Published on:

  37. When large numbers of asylum seekers immigrate to a country, civil society is encouraged to contribute to their integration. A subgroup of asylum seekers comprising lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or quee...

    Authors: Pelle Pelters, Krister Hertting, Catrine Kostenius and Eva-Carin Lindgren
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:1246
    Content type: Research Published on:

  38. Despite the vulnerabilities associated with the youth migration process, knowledge on the drivers of risky sexual behaviour among migrant street youth is limited. This study sought to explore the pathways driv...

    Authors: Mulekya Francis Bwambale, Deborah Birungi, Cheryl A. Moyer, Paul Bukuluki and Bart van den Borne
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:1119
    Content type: Research Published on:

  39. Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infections are prevalent among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. However, compared to syphilis and HIV, the testing rate for chlamydia and gonorrh...

    Authors: Xiao-Xin Lin, Si-Yan Meng, Wu-Jian Ke, Xiao-Hui Zhang, Liu-Yuan Wang, Yu-Ying Liao, Han Liu, Pei-Zhen Zhao, Chun-Mei Liang, Hui-Ru Chen, Hai-Ying Long, Bin Yang and Li-Gang Yang
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:1036
    Content type: Research Published on:

  40. Food insecurity is a pressing public health problem. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people are at increased risk for food insecurity, yet this issue remains grossly understudied among this population. The pu...

    Authors: Jennifer M. Jabson Tree, Jennifer Russomanno, Marissa Bartmess and Joel G. Anderson
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:957
    Content type: Research Published on:

  41. As a group at high-risk for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) infection, the psychological distress of transgender women cannot be ignored while preventing and controlling AIDS risks. Transgender wome...

    Authors: Meng Sun, Haoqiang Ji, Xu Chen, Jia Xu, Jiachen Lu, Yaohui Yi, Yuanping Pan, Ruiheng Wu, Yunting Chen, Yuxin Duan, Xiaofeng Dou and Ling Zhou
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:955
    Content type: Research Published on:

  43. As of 2019, men who have sex with men (MSM) in Canada are ineligible to donate blood if they have had oral or anal sex with another man in the last 3 months. Deferral policies targeting MSM are largely interpr...

    Authors: JP Armstrong, David J. Brennan, David Collict, Maya Kesler, Tsegaye Bekele, Rusty Souleymanov, Daniel Grace, Nathan J. Lachowsky, Trevor A. Hart and Barry D. Adam
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:849
    Content type: Research Published on:

  44. HIV self-testing (HIVST) could play an important role in improving access to testing and therefore reducing inequalities related to late diagnosis of HIV, while also improving access to HIV prevention interven...

    Authors: Emily Jay Nicholls, Phil Samba, Leanne McCabe, Mitzy Gafos, Andrew N. Philips, Roy Trevelion, Alison J. Rodger, Fiona M. Burns, Peter Weatherburn and T. Charles Witzel
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:809
    Content type: Research Published on:

  45. This study aimed to investigate sexual orientation disclosure and mental health among young men who have sex with men (YMSMs). To this end, we constructed a chained multimediator model of sexual minority stigm...

    Authors: Sumin Tan, Ping Cen, Ting Fang, Xing Yang, Yun Zhang, Jiawen Zhu, Haimei Huang, Min Wang, Li Jiang, Jieling Mo and Chuanyi Ning
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:797
    Content type: Research Published on:

  46. Although gender nonconformity (GNC) and transgender identity are both linked to bullying victimization, few studies have examined them with bullying victimization simultaneously. Using a sample of Youth Risk B...

    Authors: Qiguo Lian, Ruili Li, Zhihao Liu, Xiaona Li, Qiru Su and Dongpeng Zheng
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:650
    Content type: Research Published on:

  47. This study examined whether heavy episodic drinking (HED), cannabis use, and subjective changes in alcohol and cannabis use during the COVID-19 pandemic differ between transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) and ...

    Authors: Nibene H. Somé, Mostafa Shokoohi, Kevin D. Shield, Samantha Wells, Hayley A. Hamilton, Tara Elton-Marshall and Alex Abramovich
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:452
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  48. The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions stopped people freely engaging in sexual behaviour. We explored sexual behaviour amongst men who have sex with men (MSM) using mixed methods during the mul...

    Authors: Adam Williams, David Gillespie, Zoë Couzens, Fiona Wood, Kathryn Hughes and Kerenza Hood
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:396
    Content type: Research Published on:

  49. The Philippines, which has the fastest rising HIV epidemic globally, has limited options for HIV testing and its uptake remains low among cisgender men who have sex with men (cis-MSM) and transgender women (TG...

    Authors: Patrick C. Eustaquio, Roberto Figuracion Jr, Kiyohiko Izumi, Mary Joy Morin, Kenneth Samaco, Sarah May Flores, Anne Brink and Mona Liza Diones
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:366
    Content type: Research Published on:

  50. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted 2SLGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness. Little is known about vaccine attitudes and uptake among this population. To address this, the objectives of this...

    Authors: Alex Abramovich, Nelson Pang, Sharumathy Kunasekaran, Amanda Moss, Tara Kiran and Andrew D. Pinto
    Citation: BMC Public Health 2022 22:122
    Content type: Research Published on: