Study: 24% of Southern U.S. LGBTQ People Live In Poverty

[LeChat]

Hi, everyone. Since this study doesn't seem to include asexuality, that's why I chose not to put it in the World Watch forum.

 

However, I still thought, since there are many LGBTQ people on the forum who are or aren't asexual, that they might find this new study that's just been released interesting.

 

https://www.advocate.com/news/2019/12/13/study-finds-24-percent-southern-lgbtq-people-live-poverty

 

Here's the PDF of the research study results, which also includes results from 35 U.S. states (because not all states include questions about their populations' sexual orientation and gender identity).

https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/State-LGBT-Poverty-Dec-2019.pdf

 

[RoseGoesToYale]

Makes sense to me, though I don't think sexual orientation is the determining factor here because southern states in general have higher rates of poverty than northern or western states (excepting areas on the west coast, esp. where cost of living is becoming prohibitively high). See this map: https://www.povertyusa.org/data. So it makes sense that LGBTQ populations in those areas would be affected as well.

 

Mississippi is the poorest state with a poverty rate of 21%.

 

It's also interesting to note that these states are also the most traditionally conservative. Make of that what you will.

[LeChat]

Yeah, even the project leader of the study also said that more information is needed.

 

I have wondered about this, partly because I read in the news about trans people--particularly in other countries--being poor and having difficulty in finding employment, due to locals not liking trans people, saying it's against their religious beliefs, etc. (and partly because of how some strangers reacted negatively/laughingly to my gender-nonconforming expression, clothes, etc., growing up).

 

But, I was surprised that their study seemed to confirm it, where, even in more liberal states, there were higher percentages of LGBT people in poverty than cis people. I'm not sure whether or not it might also be because LGBT people might be more likely to be single than cis people (i.e. single income versus a two-income household).