Human Rights Inequality Of LGBT Community In Health Care And Educational Settings In Tamil Nadu: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: The main aim of the study was to unearth the diverse forms of human rights violations encountered by LGBT people in Chennai city. It would help to fill the gap existing between over-understudied subjects of this kind and understanding the inequalities in educational and health settings.

Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted to study 284 LGBT people who were recruited using the snowball sampling technique. The instrument employed to garner information from the study subjects was a semi-structured interview schedule. The data was analysed and a chi-square test was employed to ascertain the association variables.

Results: The study population included males, females and transgenders. The male subjects constituted 56.3%, followed by females (10.6%) and transgenders (33.1%) respectively. Among the LGBTs, 32.7% were transgenders and 32.4%, 31.3%, and 3.5% were bisexuals, gays, and lesbians respectively. 61.6% of them were in the age group of 25-34 years, with a mean age of 29.34. 45.1% of LGBTs faced discrimination at educational institutions. 72.9% of GBT experienced diverse forms of discrimination in hospital settings.

Conclusion: The study clearly demonstrated that a sizable proportion of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders face inequalities in their families, educational, and health care settings. Thus, sensitization programs, incorporation of inclusive policies into educational and health care institutions, and inclusion of a separate curriculum in schools and universities, and undertaking research in this field would address their problems