The Intersection of Eating Disorders and the LGBTQ+ Community: Identity, Healing, and Self-Acceptance

Thank you to our guest blogger: Erica Butler, PhDc, LMFT, Executive Director and Founder, Blue Ridge Eating Disorder Care Center, in Saylorsburg, PA

Eating disorders do not discriminate. They affect people of all ages, races, genders, and backgrounds. Yet, data consistently shows that individuals within the LGBTQ+ community face disproportionately high rates of eating disorders. This is not merely a coincidence—it’s a reflection of the complex relationship between identity, social stigma, trauma, and access to care. To support healing and recovery for LGBTQ+ individuals, we must understand how these identities influence not only the development of eating disorders but also the journey toward self-acceptance and wellness.

“Aged 17 and 18, I was being shown pictures of myself at the 2008 Olympics from when I was 14, saying this is what we want you to look like"

-Tom Daley, former Olympic athlete

The Hidden Crisis

In recent years, more research has confirmed what many LGBTQ+ individuals and advocates have long known: the community is deeply impacted by eating disorders. Gay and bisexual men are significantly more likely to engage in behaviors like binge eating and purging compared to their heterosexual peers. Transgender individuals, particularly youth, report some of the highest rates of restrictive eating, body dysmorphia, and attempts to manipulate their body through food and exercise. Lesbian and bisexual women are also more likely to struggle with emotional eating and weight concerns, often shaped by both mainstream and subcultural beauty standards.

These trends emerge from a larger context of marginalization. From early adolescence, LGBTQ+ youth often receive harmful messages about their bodies, their gender expression, and their worth. For some, this translates into a fractured relationship with food and body as they search for control, validation, or even invisibility.

"Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses, not lifestyle choices."

-Demi Lovato

Identity as Both Risk and Resource

For transgender and nonbinary individuals in particular, body image concerns may stem not only from societal pressure, but also from gender dysphoria. The intense discomfort with one's physical appearance—especially when it feels out of alignment with one’s gender identity—can lead to restrictive eating or compulsive behaviors aimed at reshaping the body. For instance, some transmasculine people may restrict food intake to suppress curves, while some transfeminine individuals may fixate on weight to achieve a more traditionally feminine silhouette.

In addition to gender-based distress, many LGBTQ+ people face chronic stress due to discrimination, harassment, or family rejection. This "minority stress" accumulates over time, weakening mental health and making individuals more vulnerable to disordered eating. Food may become a coping mechanism, a form of control in a world that feels unpredictable or hostile. In some cases, it may be the only form of self-expression that feels accessible or safe.

"every single day is a battle with an eating disorder because it takes over how you see yourself in the mirror, it takes over how many times you feel you should go to the gym, what you can or can't eat."

- John Waite, from Strictly Come Dancing

At the same time, within certain LGBTQ+ circles, there can be intense cultural pressure around appearance. In gay male communities, for example, thinness or muscularity may be idealized to the point of obsession. Transgender individuals may feel pressure to “pass” in ways that heighten body scrutiny. These norms can reinforce disordered behaviors, making recovery more complicated.

Barriers to Treatment

Despite the urgent need, LGBTQ+ individuals often face steep barriers to receiving affirming and effective treatment. Many eating disorder programs and clinicians are not adequately trained in LGBTQ+ health, leading to misdiagnosis or treatment that ignores core aspects of a person’s identity. For example, transgender clients may be placed in gendered treatment settings that disregard their affirmed identity, or clinicians may focus on weight and food behaviors without addressing the underlying trauma of being rejected for who they are. Fear of discrimination, being misunderstood, or having to “educate” providers often leads LGBTQ+ people to delay or avoid seeking help altogether. Even well-intentioned programs can miss the mark when they fail to recognize that healing for queer and trans individuals is as much about reclaiming identity and community as it is about physical recovery.

“I had an eating disorder starting when I was 10"

-Renee Rapp, Mean Girls Broadway actress

Healing Through Affirmation

True recovery is only possible when care is rooted in affirmation. For LGBTQ+ individuals, this means receiving treatment that acknowledges the unique ways in which identity shapes their experience. This process involves working with therapists and dietitians who understand how homophobia, transphobia, and systemic injustice influence mental health. It requires environments where names and pronouns are respected, where gendered assumptions are questioned, and where chosen family is recognized as essential support. Healing also involves unlearning shame and reconnecting with the body as something to be celebrated rather than punished. For many, this is an act of resistance: reclaiming the right to exist fully, to nourish oneself, and to find joy in embodiment. Recovery may also include finding community among others who understand what it means to live at the intersection of queerness and disordered eating, where collective healing becomes possible.

“You are welcome here. All of you.”

The Path Forward

To truly address the epidemic of eating disorders in the LGBTQ+ community, we must shift from a one-size-fits-all approach to one that centers lived experience. This means investing in inclusive training for providers, creating safe and affirming treatment environments, and amplifying queer and trans voices in conversations about recovery. It also means recognizing that for many LGBTQ+ people, healing is not just about food or weight—it’s about belonging, identity, and the lifelong journey of self-acceptance.

The path forward begins when we stop asking people to leave parts of themselves at the door to receive care. It begins when we say, “You are welcome here. All of you.”

Guest blogger:

Erica Butler, PhDc, LMFT, Executive Director and Founder, Blue Ridge Eating Disorder Care Center, in Saylorsburg, PA