A key pillar of environmental justice is the ability to live free of toxic pollution—in the air, water, and land. LGBTQ+ people have long been subject to a disproportionate burden of pollution compared with cisgender heterosexual people—due to discriminatory housing policies, “heteronormative NIMBYism,” or the exclusion of LGBTQ+ spaces in certain communities, and higher poverty rates. Studies have found that areas with higher proportions of same-sex couples saw increased amounts of hazardous air pollutants compared with areas with lower proportions of same-sex couples. This has resulted in LGBTQ+ people suffering higher rates of chronic diseases associated with environmental exposure, such as respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
A key pillar of environmental justice is the ability to live free of toxic pollution—in the air, water, and land. LGBTQ+ people have long been subject to a disproportionate burden of pollution compared with cisgender heterosexual people—due to discriminatory housing policies, “heteronormative NIMBYism,” or the exclusion of LGBTQ+ spaces in certain communities, and higher poverty rates. Studies have found that areas with higher proportions of same-sex couples saw increased amounts of hazardous air pollutants compared with areas with lower proportions of same-sex couples. This has resulted in LGBTQ+ people suffering higher rates of chronic diseases associated with environmental exposure, such as respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
['Sexual minorities (LGBTQI+)', 'Persons living in poverty']