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Not a Rosy Picture: Poverty Among Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Americans

March 20, 2009

Caucus Co-Chairs, Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Barney Frank (D-MA), and Jared Polis (D-CO), sponsored a briefing on the Williams Institute’s newest report, Poverty In The Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Community. Two authors of this groundbreaking report, M. V. Lee Badgett and Randy Albelda, presented their findings and discussed the prevalence of poverty among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults and families.

In 2007, the United States Census counted 12.5% of Americans as officially poor. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual people are largely invisible in these poverty statistics, but this report - the first analysis of its kind - finds that poverty rates for lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults and families are as high as, or higher than, those of heterosexuals. Other key findings that were discussed in more depth at the briefing:

  • In general, lesbian couples have much higher poverty rates than either different-sex couples or gay male couples;
  • African-Americans in same-sex couples have poverty rates that are significantly higher than black people in different-sex married couples; and
  • Employment discrimination, lack of access to marriage, and a greater likelihood of being uninsured exacerbate poverty among lesbian, gay, and bisexual people.

The Williams Institute study focuses on sexual orientation as no nationally or locally representative data exist for transgender Americans. Although the researchers were unfortunately unable to specifically analyze poverty in this part of the LGBT community in their report, transgender people who are also lesbian, gay, or bisexual may be included in the analysis by virtue of their sexual orientation. Further, the study reports findings from a prior Williams Institute study showing that many transgender people are living at or below the poverty level.

You can see pictures of the briefing here and listen to a recording of the briefing here.

Handouts from the briefing: Poverty In The Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Community