Study Links Gay Marriage Bans to Rise in HIV Rate

Study Links Gay Marriage Bans to Rise in HIV Rate
By Carlos T Mock, MD
April 20, 2009

According to Hugo Mialon and Andrew Francis, researchers at Emory University:
Gay Marriage Bans Cause a Rise in HIV Rate.

The study used data from the General Social Survey (GSS), which has tracked
the attitudes of Americans during the past four decades. The economists
calculated that a rise in tolerance from the 1970s to the 1990s reduced HIV
cases by one per 100,000 people, and that laws against same-sex marriage
boosted cases by 4 per 100,000.

This is the first study of its kind in the United States. The researchers are applying: “economic theories to calculate how social attitudes and policies affect HIV
transmission.”

They have concluded that bans on same-sex marriage can be tied to a rise in
the rate of HIV infection. Hugo Mialon, an assistant professor of economics said:
"We found the effects of tolerance for gays on HIV to be statistically significant
and robust – they hold up under a range of empirical models.”

They were inspired to conduct the study by the current debate on same sex marriage. "Lawsm on gay marriage are in flux and under debate," added Andrew Francis, also an assistant professor of economics, citing the recent decision by the California Supreme Court to uphold a ban on same-sex marriage. "It's a hot issue, and we are hoping that policymakers will take our findings into account."

This is not their first contribution to the subject matter. An article published in March of 2008 by the authors in which they developed a game theory model for sexual behavior, which demonstrated that laws in some states regarding the sexual transmission of HIV are generally inefficient at slowing the spread of the disease, was named outstanding law and economics paper of the year

For more breaking news from the natural and social sciences at Emory,
visit www.emory.edu/esciencecommons


Dr. Mock has published four books with Floricanto Press, Berklety, CA. His articles have appeared on publications like The Chicago Tribune and several gay and lesbian newspapers. He was inducted in The Chicago GLBT Hall of Fame in 2007. He can be reached at: www.carlostmock.com