there should be little question at this point that hate is a powerful motivator of harm against others. The direct consequences of hate—including violence, discrimination, and marginalization of out‐groups—are associated with poor health. Apart from the direct physical harm they inflict, hate‐induced actions are associated with substantial mental illness effects.3 Racism and discrimination themselves produce negative health consequences...
... “Hate crimes directed against individuals based on their race, ethnic origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity, nationality, primary language, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, cultural background, age, disability, or religion are a public health issue.”5 Other organizations have followed suit, while some remain silent on the issue. It seems to us that it is important that all professional organizations concerned with health recognize the impact of hate, setting the stage for a broader public conversation that is unequivocal in its condemnation of hate....
...Public health practitioners are especially well‐placed to speak forcefully on what is needed to mitigate the population health consequences of hate. This should extend both to the foundational role that hate and the broader echoes of structural violence—including discrimination, segregation, and marginalization—play in shaping health. Public health practitioners should be advocating for health equity and access, for inclusion of diverse populations, and for health care delivery that champions respect and equality. Population health scientists should also push for investment in research that specifically examines how hate shapes foundational social forces and what can be done to counter harmful, hate‐driven beliefs and behaviors. Population health scholars should speak insistently, with one voice, on a research imperative that reflects the problems of consequence that plague us today....