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# ‘Stark but unsurprising’: MindOut responds to ONS mortality data on LGB+ people
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/stark-but-unsurprising-mindout-responds-to-ons-mortality-data-on-lgb-people/
- Published: 2026-01-21T17:36:06.000Z
- Updated: 2026-01-21T17:36:06.000Z
- Author: Graham Robson
- Tags: Health & Wellbeing

LGBTQ+ mental health charity **MindOut** has called for urgent government and health system action after newly published **Office for National Statistics** (ONS) data revealed significantly higher mortality rates among LGB+ people.

The ONS analysis of all-cause and cause-specific mortality by sexual orientation shows that people identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual face a 30% higher risk of death from any cause compared with heterosexual people. The report also found drug-poisoning deaths were almost three times higher, while alcohol-specific deaths were 80% higher among LGB+ people. Suicide was identified as a disproportionately significant cause of death, particularly among younger age groups.

Responding to the findings, MindOut described the figures as “stark but unsurprising”, warning that they reflect long-standing and preventable inequalities.

**Peter Nesbitt**, Charity Director at MindOut, said: “These figures confirm what LGBTQ+ communities and frontline services like ours have known for decades: discrimination, minority stress and barriers to healthcare shorten lives. What is most troubling is that these deaths are preventable.”

> The decision not to include gender identity leaves a significant and unacceptable gap. 

MindOut also raised concerns that the ONS analysis does not include gender identity, meaning trans and non-binary people are absent from the data despite well-documented health inequalities affecting those communities.

In a statement, the organisation said: “The decision not to include gender identity leaves a significant and unacceptable gap. Without data on trans and non-binary people, the true scale of health inequalities across LGBTQ+ communities cannot be fully understood or addressed.”

The charity has urged the ONS to adopt an intersectional approach in future releases, highlighting that LGBTQ+ people who are also disabled or from racialised communities face compounded health risks.

MindOut, which is run by and for LGBTQ+ people, supports thousands of individuals each year through peer support, mental health advocacy, mentoring, suicide prevention and early-intervention programmes. The organisation reports rising levels of distress linked to homelessness, discrimination, substance use, poverty and violence - all factors known to contribute to poorer health outcomes and early mortality.

The charity is currently working with national partners including the **National Suicide Prevention Network** and **The People’s Health Trust** to strengthen evidence around LGBTQ+ health inequalities and ensure lived experience informs national strategy.

Other sector organisations, including **LGBT Foundation** and **London Friend**, have echoed MindOut’s concerns, describing the ONS findings as a “wake-up call” and stressing the need for inclusive, culturally competent healthcare free from discrimination and stigma.

MindOut is calling for urgent action across five key areas, including increased investment in specialist LGBTQ+ mental health services, a national commitment to inclusive healthcare, stronger action on social determinants of health, improved national data collection - including the immediate inclusion of gender identity - and long-term systemic and cultural change to tackle discrimination and stigma.

Mr Nesbitt added: “Higher mortality rates among LGBTQ+ people are not a reflection of who we are - they are a reflection of the unequal conditions we live in. These outcomes are avoidable. They demand urgent action, not further delay.”

MindOut said it will continue working with **NHS** bodies, public health teams, commissioners and community organisations to ensure the ONS findings lead to meaningful and lasting change.