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The Robert E. Lang Memorial Fellowship is awarded annually to support an outstanding 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Ph.D. student completing a dissertation in metropolitan public policy broadly defined. At the end of their fellowship year, fellows present their doctoral research in a public forum. The 2024 -25 Robert E. Lang Memorial Fellow, Emylia Terry, presented a lecture titled "Sexual and Gender Minorities in Our Community: Policy Recommendations to Address Discrimination-Related Stresses."

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals face a wide range of mental and physical health challenges, which contribute to higher rates of suicide. SGM individuals encounter distress, discrimination, and in some cases, harmful anti-LGBTQIA+ laws and policies that contribute to additional mental and physical health stress.

A web-based survey of 1,034 SGM participants in the United States measured the types and frequency of discrimination occurrences and related distress. The survey considers the variety of interactions between individuals and their relationships, while also measuring the community and societal factors that affect health outcomes for SGM individuals.

This research evaluates many variables for discrimination-related stresses for SGM individuals, including hearing news reports about transgender sports ban legislation as a significant predictor of discrimination-related distress. Recommendations for effective laws and public policies that protect members of the SGM community from discrimination and consider the rights of other segments of our society were presented.