Growing up in the 1990s and early 2000s just outside of Akron, Ohio, Shane Stahl felt it was taboo to talk about being part of the LGBTQ+ community or about LGBTQ+ experiences. Stahl, 40, who identifies as a gay man, said that although he grew up in an accepting and supporting family, he didn't feel like it was possible to openly express himself and feared he would be ostracized from his community if he did so. The Struggle for Acceptance As lawmakers in Ohio began to introduce -- and sometimes pass -- more anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, at both the local and the state level, Stahl said it took a toll on his mental health. The Influence of Legislation on Mental Health 'It made me want to leave if I could,' he told ABC News. 'It makes you feel very isolated, and I don't know that this is everybody's experience, but my experience always kind of was like, 'Well, what does that person think about me? Do they have an inclination that maybe I'm gay? And if they do, are they going to treat me any differently? Are they going to say something to somebody that can have an effect on my job or my ability to rent an apartment or get a car, or any of those things that we all need to do to survive?' So, yeah, it was definitely very isolating and scary.' The Benefits of Inclusive Communities About a year-and-a half ago, Stahl got a new job for Equality California -- a non-profit civil rights organization advocating for LGBTQ+ Californians -- and moved to West Hollywood. He said being able to live in an accepting community made him feel welcome and improved his mental health. Seeing the increase in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation 'definitely was part of the motivation to leave Ohio and come to a place where I knew that there were strong laws on the books, that I knew I would be protected as a gay person,' he said. 'Coming from a very suburban northeastern Ohio experience, it feels there's a sense of peace I have now about my life that I didn't necessarily have before.' Addressing Mental Health Challenges Among LGBTQ+ Research has shown that LGBTQ+ people are more likely to experience mental health struggles than those who are heterosexual or cisgender. LGBTQ+ individuals are 2.5 times more likely to have depression and anxiety or to misuse substances compared with heterosexual individuals, according to the American Psychiatric Association. Additionally, LGBTQ+ youth are at increased risk of suicidal thoughts and ideations as well as attempted suicide. Effects of Discrimination on Mental Health However, experts say there is nothing that intrinsically puts LGBTQ+ people at higher risk of mental health challenges or suicide, and that it's largely brought on by stigma, biases and discrimination. 'LGBTQ people are not at higher risk for suicide or other mental health challenges because of anything inherent in who we are. It's about how we're treated,' Casey Pick, director of law and policy for the Trevor Project, a non-profit focusing on suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ+ youth. The Consequences of Legislation These biases and discrimination can take shape as anti-LGBTQ+ legislation including forced outing in schools, school sports bans, banning gender-affirming care for minors, criminalizing drag performances, book bans and limiting the ability of LGBTQ+ people to foster or adopt children. In 2023, a FiveThirtyEight analysis found more than 100 anti-LGBTQ+ laws have passed in the last five years with more than half of them passing last year. More than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced throughout the 2024 legislative session, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Such policies can have a negative impact on mental health. The Positive Influence of Pro-LGBTQ+ Laws While more research is needed to better understand the full effects that protective legislation can have for LGBTQ+ people, studies have shown pro-LGBTQ+ legislation can have a positive impact on mental health. One 2018 study found that sexual minority men were more likely to report poor/fair health in states with limited protections compared with heterosexual counterparts. But in this study protective state laws made no difference among sexual minority women who were more likely to report poor/fair self-rated health compared to their heterosexual counterparts in states with both comprehensive and limited protections. A 2016 study of transgender veterans found those living in states with employment nondiscrimination protections were 26% less likely to have mood disorders and 43% less likely to practice self-harm. 'We know that living in a community that is safe, affirming and accepting of who you are, directly correlates to lower rates of suicide to better mental health outcomes,' Pick said. 'That looks like safe schools; that looks like access to necessary health care; that looks like just basic equality in day-to-day life.' Stahl said he often jokes that moving to a state like California, with its wider slate of LGBTQ+ protections, felt 'like a different planet.' 'I walk around my city, and I see businesses that have gay pride flags and pride flags in their windows,' he said. 'I see people catering specifically to the LGBTQ+ community; I see a wealth of resources; I see a local and a state government that wants the best for me in my community and is actively working to improve the quality of our lives and let us know that we are welcome and we belong.' Pick and Stahl recommend that people contact their state lawmakers to push back against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and advocate for protective legislation. They add that it is also important to create safe, accepting and supportive communities for LGBTQ+ people. 'Something as simple as be the house where not just your child, but maybe your child's LGBTQ friends can come over feel safe, get cookies after school, be the place where they know that they can just let down and relax and where they won't be confronted with the kind of hostility that is all too common out there today,' Pick said.