A new study by economists at Atlanta’s Emory University indicates that same-sex marriage bans may be tied to a rise in HIV infections. The study used data from the General Social Survey (GSS), which has tracked the attitudes of Americans during the past four decades.

The economists, Hugo Mialon and Andrew Francis, 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.

More information about the study is available at www.emory.edu/home/news/releases/2009/06/study-links-gay-marriage-bans-to-rise-in-hiv-rate.html.

The full paper presenting the research findings is available at http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~hmialon/Tolerance_and_HIV.pdf

Article from GMLA LGBT Health Digest