A Study on LGBT Poverty
by Keith Ellison
Greetings, Rainbow Rumpus parents!
Once again, I am honored to be able to speak with you. As you may know, I am currently a vice chair of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Congressional Caucus. This year’s caucus has the largest number of Congress members in its history, a record breaking 77 members.
The LGBT Caucus has a full legislative agenda before it, including ENDA, hate crimes, domestic partner benefits and obligations (DOMA), and benefits for foreign services workers, to name but a few. I am excited to be a part of such a dynamic group of lawmakers and anxious to work toward ending discrimination against the LGBT community.
I’d like to discuss an issue that was raised in the LGBT Caucus meeting. The Williams Institute, a research institution at UCLA Law School, recently examined the issue of poverty in the LGBT community. The study revealed that LGBT families are at a greater risk of living in poverty than their heterosexual counterparts.
The study documents that LGBT families, particularly lesbian couples, are more likely than heterosexual couples to be poor. Children in LGBT families are twice as likely to live in poverty as children of heterosexual couples. This study’s findings merit further investigation of how poverty affects the community.
Sadly, but predictably, some of the discriminatory policies in our laws may be partially responsible for the higher rate of poverty in LGBT families. The study shows that vulnerability to employment discrimination, lack of access to marriage, and higher rates of being uninsured all contribute to additional financial strain on families. Eliminating these discriminatory laws will begin to help alleviate the risk factors for increased poverty among LGBT families.
I’d like to encourage you to join me in raising awareness about this issue. We need to urge all of our lawmakers at both the state and federal levels to act on the discriminatory policies that are causing these disproportionate rates of poverty for LGBT families. At a time when every family in our nation is struggling to make ends meet, we must take steps to end those policies that make it more difficult for Americans to support their families.
I want to thank you again for allowing me to speak with you via your website. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions.
