Alphabet of Discrimination: Letter H--Healthcare and hate crimes

 

One day, a member of our community asked a member of Equity Buckfield “What’s happening in our country right now that’s so bad? Give me one example.” Our member thought to themself, “I could probably think of something for every letter of the alphabet.” And so they did.

Healthcare

Numerous factors outside the realm of healthcare contribute to healthcare inequities on a systemic scale. Here is an excellent primer from the Kaiser Family Foundation. A key excerpt:

"Though health care is essential to health, research shows that health outcomes are driven by multiple factors, including underlying genetics, health behaviors, social and environmental factors, and access to health care. While there is currently no consensus in the research on the magnitude of the relative contributions of each of these factors to health, studies suggest that health behaviors and social and economic factors, often referred to as social determinants of health, are the primary drivers of health outcomes and that social and economic factors shape individuals’ health behaviors. Moreover, racism negatively affects mental and physical health both directly and by creating inequities across the social determinants of health."

Hate crimes

The US Department of Justice defines a hate crime as

a crime motivated by bias against race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.

A majority of reported hate crimes are motivated by bias against a race, ethnicity or ancestry (source). Previously in this series, we looked at anti-Asian hate crimes and disparities in reproductive rights and healthcare outcomes for pregnant people.

As of 2022, hate crimes committed against the LGBTQ2IA+ community are not only on the rise but are likely vastly undercounted.

Take a look at Maine's hate crime data from 2020:

Source: US Department of Justice