Eating Disorders Prevalent in GLBT Community
By Leslie Davis
Gay and bisexual men have a higher propensity for eating disorders than do persons identifying as any other sexuality. More than 15 percent of gay and bisexual males who participated in a study by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health reported having anorexia, bulimia or a binge-eating disorder.
Comparatively, 10 percent of lesbian and bisexual women, 8 percent of heterosexual women and about 5 percent of heterosexual men reported having an eating disorder.
Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia are primarily found in women, but the study indicated that 5 to 20 percent of people with eating disorders are men. Of those men with eating disorders, anywhere between 14 and 42 percent are gay and bisexual males.
“Gay and bisexual men [may be] more likely than heterosexual men to view their bodies as sexual objects, and therefore, like heterosexual women, may be more vulnerable to experiencing body dissatisfaction,” said the study, which was published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.
Like women, gay and bisexual males may be affected by society’s messages about appearance, namely that looking good will make you happy and lead to success. They may starve themselves to keep their body fat down, or fall into depression if they have gained too much weight.
The Disruptive Impact of Discrimination
Members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community may be particularly prone to eating disorders because of messages they may have received from society that their sexuality is “wrong” or “disgusting.”
“The development of a healthy homosexual identity is inherently challenging because of the pervasiveness of homophobia,” said Deborah Whalen, MSW, LCSW, a clinical outreach coordinator at Sierra Tucson who specializes in GLBT issues. “It is difficult for homosexuals to cultivate positive relationships with their bodies and to experience themselves as whole, acceptable and deserving. Eating disorders may result in part because of this.”
Whalen described eating disorders as disorders of hunger and satiation, and the inability to respond appropriately to one’s needs on a very basic level.
“The GLBT population is particularly vulnerable to eating disorders because of discrimination and messages that their sexual hungers and desires are deviant. We have a whole group of people relegated to second class citizenship because of their hungers,” she said. “This may disrupt one’s relationship with their body.”
Self-Hatred & Self-Harm
Self-hatred and disordered eating may be components or symbols of this disrupted relationship. Eating disorder symptoms may pervade other aspects of a person’s life.
The restrictive nature of anorexia may express itself in limited or no sexual activity, and an individual my not be willing to spend the money needed to take care of their basic needs.
Bulimics may not just binge on food. They may be impulsive and voracious in other ways, such as through sexual promiscuity and out-of-control spending.
Achieving a Healthier, Happier Life
Residential treatment programs such as Sierra Tucson in Arizona can work to help patients both recover from their eating disorders and become confident in their sexuality so that long-term recovery is possible.
“It is really about engaging people around what it feels like when they are in touch with their hunger,” Whalen said. “People who are OK with their hungers don’t starve or overeat.”
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