Given the preponderance of media and advertising images in the larger society that designates thinness as the standard of beauty, it is not surprising that for many LGBT people, the dichotomy between body image and actual body size and shape plays a significant role in the development of eating disorders. Moreover, many closeted LGBT persons experience a myriad of mental health concerns as a result of homophobia in mainstream society. For some bisexual and transgender persons this can also happen within the LGBT community. Similarly, LGBT persons who are from communities of color experience racism within the ranks of LGBT populations. There have been numerous studies, which examine linkages between eating disorders, gender, and sexual orientation.
Some studies reveal homosexual men and heterosexual women are more likely to have eating disorders.
In this study, the hypothesis was true. It should be noted that often lesbians are stereotyped as women who are not as concerned about their physical appearance. In a study that examined bulimia nervosa and binge eating among 203 lesbians, the rate of bulimia nervosa was similar among heterosexual women and lesbians, but binge eating occurred more often. From 1980 to 1994, a study was conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital in which 135 men were treated for eating disorders. However, lesbian girls were more likely to have positive body images than their heterosexual counterparts, but are no less likely to report disordered eating behaviors such as bingeing or purging.