UCLA’s Williams Institute came out with a new study of poverty among the lesbian, gay, and bisexual community this past Friday. Notwithstanding the general perception of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals as an affluent minority group–a perception that, it is worth noting, the community has itself actively fostered–the study found that poverty is at least as common among lesbians, gays, and bisexuals as it is among heterosexuals. Here are the main findings of the study (which are directly quoted from p. i of the study):
- After adjusting for a range of family characteristics that help explain poverty, gay and lesbian couple families are significantly more likely to be poor than are heterosexual married couple families.
- Notably, lesbian couples and their families are much more likely to be poor than heterosexual couples and their families.
- Children in gay and lesbian couple households have poverty rates twice those of children in heterosexual married couple households.
- Within the LGB population, several groups are much more likely to be poor than others. African American people in same-sex couples and same-sex couples who live in rural areas are much more likely to be poor than white or urban same-sex couples.
- While a small percentage of all families receive government cash supports intended for poor and low-income families, we find that gay and lesbian individuals and couples are more likely to receive these supports than are heterosexuals.
-Tony Infanti
