How many gay people in the military

31. 2021;18(3):547-554. 2022;49(3):282-298. 2018;10(3):276-281. 2016;18(6):56. Accessed February 7, 2023. In the general population, the burden of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s has increased in recent decades, and this trend is anticipated to continue due to our aging population.49 Veterans have special risk factors for developing brain disorders with aging, including higher rates of traumatic brain injury and PTSD, which are independently associated with risk for Parkinson’s disease and dementia.50-52 Additionally, LGBTQ+ military veterans have increased risk factors for cerebrovascular disease, including higher rates of mental stress, smoking, and physical disability compared with nonveteran peers.53 Depending on their period of service, veterans may have had toxic exposures that can further increase their risk for neurological illness, such as higher rates of Parkinson’s disease and dementia amongst Vietnam-era veterans with Agent Orange exposure,54,55 and a higher rate of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis amongst Gulf War veterans.56

Prior studies of LGBTQ+ veterans relied on International Classification of Diseases coding for gender identity disorders to identify transgender individuals57 or natural language processing to identify documentation of cisgender LGBQ military personnel in the clinical notes.57,58 They show that transgender veterans have higher rates of Alzheimer’s disease and cancer44 compared with cisgender veterans.

"I know I'm a man, but society was telling me that I was less than [because of my sexuality]," the author recalls. Accessed January 30, 2023.

9. Social stressors and health among older transgender and gender diverse veterans. 2023;10(2):148-157.

45. 2020;3(12):e2031357. Med Care. JMIR Med Inform.

Accessed January 30, 2023. 2017;29(1):68-86. Transgend Health. 2022;55(4):470-480. Center for American Progress website.

Government Accountability Office website. When assessing factors associated with higher COVID-19 severity amongst veterans, minoritized sexual orientation was associated with greater prevalence of stroke, COPD, and asthma.59 Taken together, these studies suggest that LGBTQ+ veterans may have unique health risks that can influence brain health and aging.

GBD 2017 US Neurological Disorders Collaborators.