Abstract
This narrative review examines literature informing policy and laws relevant to the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) adult populations. Empirical factors related to structural stigma, specifically policy and law, were examined. Empirical studies examining structural stigma and health-related outcomes in LGBTQ+ populations have proliferated since the publication of the Institute of Medicine’s The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People (2010) and Hatzenbuehler’s theoretical work on stigma-related influences on LGBTQ+ health. Databases were searched using a priori terms. Over 2,100 articles were identified that included original data from the United States since 2010. Studies identified for inclusion (n = 78) were roughly evenly split according to whether results related to the influence of federal-, state-, or local-level policies on LGBTQ+ adults’ health. Policy recommendations center around the expansion of anti-discrimination law and policy, abolishment of law and policy that restricts access and rights of LGBTQ+ adults, supplemental training in relevant cultural competencies, and the provision of additional resources for vulnerable subpopulations of LGBTQ+ adults.