Well-being of LGBT population
LGBT adults were more likely to have lost income and to have experienced anxiety and food insufficiency during the pandemic than non-LGBT adults and were on par for vaccination rates.
Indicators of well-being for adult LGBT population, South
Sep 15 - Sep 27, 2021
Source: Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey. Notes: Loss of employment income is % reporting a loss of employment income in the last 4 weeks for self or household member. Food insecurity is % of persons reporting "sometimes not enough to eat" or "often not enough to eat” in the last 7 days. Anxiety is % reporting frequency of symptoms is "more than half the days" or "nearly every day” in the last 2 weeks.
While LGBTQIA+ people remain unseen in many official statistics, the Census Bureau, through its Household Pulse Survey, is providing needed visibility on the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people in America during the pandemic.
More than half of Southern LGBT adults surveyed experienced anxiety last month — more than twice the rate of non-LGBT adults in the region. In the South, we can also see clearly that LGBT adults were more likely to have lost employment income, and more likely to have experienced food insecurity than non-LGBT adults.
While pre-pandemic research shows that LGBTQ people are more likely than non-LGBTQ people to delay seeking medical care because of out-of-pocket costs,1 the recent Census Pulse Survey found that LGBT adults in the South chose vaccination at a nearly identical rate as non-LGBT people. Several factors may have influenced this, including previous experience organizing community care as a response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic,2 as well as government efforts to make Covid vaccination free and accessible.
“Southern LGBTQ Health Survey”. Nanney, Johnson, Polaski, and Beach-Ferrara. The Southern LGBTQ Health Initiative. November, 2019. https://southernequality.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/SouthernLGBTQHealthSurvey%E2%80%93FullReport.pdf
“LGBTQ Spaces Led in Vaccine Requirements—40 Years After The HIV/AIDS Crisis”. Vogt. Washington City Paper. August, 2021.https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/529501/lgbtq-spaces-led-in-vaccine-requirements-40-years-after-the-hiv-aids-crisis/