Study: Disparities Impacting Black Queer Americans
Wide-ranging report shows how Black LGBTQ folks face inequities across the country
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
Black LGBTQ adults face
more health disparities,
discrimination,
economic woes, and
violence than non-LGBTQ Black
adults, according to a new study
from the Williams Institute at
UCLA.
The wide-ranging report, which
concluded that 1.2 million of the
25 million Black people in the
US identify as LGBTQ, found signifi
cant disparities in Black queer
individuals’ mental and physical
health, economic status, and other
areas.
Among the key areas of focus in
the study included the healthcare
experiences of Black queer adults.
The study found that 17 percent of
Black LGBTQ adults are covered
under Medicaid, a free health insurance
plan for low-income individuals,
compared to 13 percent
of Black non-LGBTQ adults. In
the US, Medicaid coverage is rife
with stigma — which can have farreaching
effects.
In 2014, a study published in the
National Library of Medicine found
adults on Medicaid reported interactions
with doctors that felt “demeaning.”
Findings from a 2011
study revealed that many doctors
do not accept patients on Medicaid.
These barriers can make it
especially diffi cult for low-income,
Black LGBTQ patients to fi nd
quality care.
Although 71 percent of respondents
were “out” as LGBTQ to
their healthcare provider, according
to the Williams Institute report,
many chose to conceal parts
of their marginalized status. The
fi ndings show that transgender
adults are more likely to conceal
their gender identity due to rampant
transphobia. Furthermore,
just 70 percent of Black LGBTQ
adults have a personal doctor
compared to 77 percent of non-
LGBTQ adults.
Most LGBTQ people are not “out”
to their doctors for fear of discrimination,
according to a report from
the Center of American Progress,
LGBTQ Black People face more discrimination than non-LGBT Black individuals.
a public policy and research institute.
Disclosure could help doctors
provide patients with personalized,
LGBTQ-specifi c care such as STD
screenings, fertility referrals, HIV/
AIDS care and gender-affi rming
care.
These discriminatory experiences
are often deadly. A 2019
case study published in the New
England Journal of Medicine described
how nurses ignored the
pregnancy of a 32-year-old transgender
man. Clinicians provided
the wrong diagnosis using harmful,
sex-based stereotypes. Several
hours later, the man delivered a
dead baby.
Among other issues, the Williams
Institute study found that
25 percent of Black LGBTQ adults
are more likely to have a mild disability
compared to 20 percent of
Black non-LGBTQ adults. According
to the report, a “mild disability”
is when an individual is limited because
of poor health for one to 14
days.
Additionally, fi nding another
health provider is not always accessible,
and all of these experiences
result in worse health outcomes.
Mental healthcare, meanwhile,
is also a source of disparity for
Black queer folks. While 15 percent
of Black non-LGBTQ adults have
been diagnosed with depression,
a whopping 26 percent of Black
LGBTQ adults have received a depression
diagnosis.
The health disparities are compounded
by other notable fi ndings
in the report, which found that
Black LGBTQ respondents underscored
the point that their local
communities have been hostile towards
trans people. Nearly 39 percent
said their towns are not welcoming
for lesbian, gay, or bisexual
people.
While a slight majority of Black
LGBTQ adults live in the south,
Black LGBTQ adults are more likely
than non-Black LGBTQ adults
to live in the west and less likely
to live in the south. Furthermore,
56 percent of Black queer adults
reside in low-income households
compared to 49 percent of Black
non-LGBTQ adults.
Although Black LGBTQ people
face the brunt of these inequities,
all Black adults in the study reported
everyday slights. About 82
percent of Black LGBTQ adults
reported daily discrimination compared
to 79 percent of non-LGBTQ
adults, the study shows.
Higher levels of violence are
common among Black LGBTQ
adults. At least 79 percent reported
RESEARCH
BROADLY VICE GENDER SPECTRUM
verbal insults or abuse,
60 percent reported being threatened
with violence, and 44 percent
were physically or sexually
assaulted. Nearly 43 percent of
LGBTQ respondents said they
have experienced a robbery or
property destruction.
The study uses data from Gallup
Sharecare Well-Being Index
Survey, the Generations Study,
and the TransPop Study. However,
researchers did not account for
Black sexual and gender minorities
that identify as “same-genderloving,”
“heterosexual,” or use “no
labels.”
The fi ndings in the report do not
detail how these inequities exist.
Researchers do not provide recommendations
toward providing more
economic support, safety, and
mental stability for Black trans
and LGB individuals.
Despite these limitations, the
data reveals that the needs of
Black LGBTQ people continue to
go unmet.
“Black LGBTQ subpopulation
may be more in need of or impacted
by policy and services interventions,”
the study’s authors wrote.
“Particularly related to improving
conditions for economic stability,
safety from violence, and mental
health.”
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