CIVIL RIGHTS
Report: Anti-LGBTQ Bias Hurts LGBTQ People of Color
National LGBTQ leaders emphasize need for comprehensive protections
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
LGBTQ people of color not only face
disproportionate levels of anti-LGBTQ
discrimination in the US, but
are more likely to live in states lacking
legal protections based on gender identity
and sexual orientation, according to a new brief
from several LGBTQ rights groups and Cornell
University.
The report, called “Discrimination Infl icts
Disproportionate Harm on People of Color,”
notes that Black and Brown individuals are
disproportionately affected by job discrimination,
economic distress, and poorer health
outcomes, and suicide when compared to both
white LGBTQ people and cisgender and heterosexual
folks. In the report, researchers emphasized
that anti-LGBTQ laws are exacerbating
these disparities among people of color, making
it even more challenging to reduce stressors in
this group.
The report was led by the National Black
Justice Coalition, the National Center for Lesbian
Rights, the National LGBTQ Task Force,
and Freedom for All Americans in collaboration
with the “What We Know” project, a research
portal at the Center for the Study of Inequality
at Cornell University. Notably, the research
demonstrates the impact disparities have on
communities of color in areas without comprehensive
LGBTQ non-discrimination protections
at a time when efforts to pass such legislation
at the federal level have been hindered by a split
US Senate.
“This important brief only further solidifi
es what we have known for a very long time
— the combination of racism and anti-LGBTQ
discrimination has serious and long-lasting effects
for the health and well-being of LGBTQ
people of color,” Imani Rupert-Gordon, the executive
director of the National Center for Lesbian
Rights, said in a written statement. “This
research highlights why federal non-discrimination
protections are overdue and vital to protecting
some of the most underrepresented and
vulnerable members of our community.”
The report, which comes approximately four
months after the House of Representatives
passed the Equality Act for the fi rst time since
2019, shows that public policy needs to refl ect
“what the research tells us about how we can
reduce these harms,” according to Dr. Nathaniel
Frank, the study’s lead author. The report notes
that people of color make up 42 percent of the
LGBTQ community, which is 10 points higher
than the percentage of non-LGBTQ people of
color. Half of the 5.5 million queer people of color
in the US live in states with anti-LGBTQ policies,
A new report from several LGBTQ rights groups and Cornell University shows the impact of discrimination on LGBTQ people of color.
the report said, and the southern region of
the US accounts for a slight majority of Black
LGBTQ individuals. This year, Mississippi, Alabama,
and Florida were among several states
in the South that have passed bills targeting
transgender people in healthcare, sports, and
bathrooms.
“These painful fi gures highlight an indisputable
link between discrimination, economic
security, mental, and physical health,” David
Johns, executive director of the National Black
Justice Coalition and contributor to the report,
said in a written statement. “People with multiple
stigmatized, marginalized, social, and political
identities, particularly Black LGBTQ+/
Same Gender Loving people, bear a disproportionate
amount of the weight illustrated by the
data in this study.”
Discrimination is also evident in the workplace,
as well, one year after the Supreme Court
ruled in favor of LGBTQ workplace protections.
When applying for jobs, 32 percent of LGBTQ
people of color report experiencing homophobic
or transphobic harassment compared to
13 percent of white LGBTQ individuals. Queer
people also face greater risk of being victims of
anti-LGBTQ discrimination when dealing with
the police, according to the report.
Rampant discrimination contributes to higher
suicide risks for LGBTQ people of color, the
report notes. While 12 percent of white LGBTQ
youth attempt suicide, those numbers increase
among underrepresented racial groups, according
REUTERS/STEPHANIE KEITH
to the report. For example, 31 percent of Native/
Indigenous LGBTQ youth, 21 percent of
Black LGBTQ youth, and 18 percent for Latinx
LGBTQ youth have attempted suicide, the research
noted.
Furthermore, 56 percent of Black LGBTQ
people live in low-income households compared
to 49 percent of Black non-LGBTQ people. The
report also shows that 37 percent of Black LGBTQ
individuals experience food insecurity
compared to 27 percent of Black non-LGBTQ
adults.
Additionally, experts note that between 2014
and 2016, there was a 46 percent increase in
mental health distress among queer and trans
people who lived in states that allowed businesses
to refuse service to LGBTQ customers.
However, experts also suggested that those effects
could be alleviated by support from friends
and family.
“Study after study shows that nondiscrimination
protections improve economic opportunities,
public safety, and physical and mental
well-being of LGBTQ people,” said Kasey Suffredini,
the CEO and national campaign director
of Freedom for All Americans, a bipartisan
group aimed at achieving nationwide LGBTQ
protections. “It is well past time for the essential
protections available only in some of our states
and cities to be extended to all LGBTQ Americans,
especially LGBTQ people of color, who are
disproportionately burdened by the lack of protections.”
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