In the first study to look at the consequences of anti-gay prejudice for mortality, researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals who lived in communities with high levels of anti-gay prejudice have a shorter life expectancy of 12 years on average compared with their peers in less prejudiced communities. “The results of this study suggest a broadening of the consequences of prejudice to include premature death,” noted the study’s lead author, Dr. Mark Hatzenbuehler, assistant professor of sociomedical sciences. The study is online in Social Science & Medicine.