ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on empirical research on the health of sexual and gender minority populations from across the world to show how sexual orientation and gender identity operate as social determinants of health. It reviews the historical and contemporary tensions between the pathologisation of sexual orientation and gender identity, and access to healthcare for sexual and gender minorities, and explains contemporary conceptual models that inform our understanding of the relationship between sexual orientation, gender identity, and health. It then traces the global legal frameworks that govern sexual orientation and gender identity and that affect the health of sexual and gender minorities. Using the examples of violence and mental health concerns, the chapter illustrates the dynamics of sexual orientation and gender identity as social determinants of health. It concludes by reviewing the impact of sexual orientation and gender identity-related stigma and discrimination on access to and availability of healthcare for sexual and gender minority people.
