Discrimination Against LGBTQ Americans Still High

Analyzing the experiences of LGBTQ Americans.

American media organization NPR (National Public Radio) has released the fifth portion of the series You, Me and Them: Experiencing Discrimination in America. Based on a survey conducted by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, this multi-platform series delves into personal experiences of discrimination in America from representative samples of African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, whites, men, women and LGBTQ adults. November 21 sees the release of the portion of the series exploring the experiences of LGBTQ Americans.

The key findings of the report on LGBTQ Americans are disturbing and indicate that levels of discrimination are both endemic and high, including the findings that:

·        57% of LGBTQ Americans have experienced slurs about their sexual orientation or gender identity.

·        53% of LGBTQ Americans have experienced insensitive or offensive comments about their sexual orientation or gender identity.

·        57% of LGBTQ Americans say that they or an LGBTQ friend or family member have been threatened or non-sexually harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

·        51% of LGBTQ Americans say they have been sexually harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

·        51% of LGBTQ Americans say they have experienced violence because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

·        34% of all LGBTQ Americans say that they or an LGBTQ friend or family member have been verbally harassed in the bathroom or been told or asked if they were using the wrong bathroom.

·        20% of LGBTQ Americans report being personally discriminated against because of their sexuality or gender identity when applying for jobs.

·        22% of LGBTQ Americans report being personally discriminated against because of their sexuality or gender identity when being paid equally or considered for promotion.

·        22% of LGBT Americans report being personally discriminated against when trying to rent a room or apartment or buy a house because of their sexuality or gender identity when being paid equally or considered for promotion.

·        32% of LGBTQ Americans of color say they have personally experienced discrimination because of their LGBTQ identity when applying for jobs, compared to 13% of white LGBTQ individuals.

·        24% of LGBTQ Americans of color say they have personally experienced discrimination because they are LGBTQ when interacting with the police, compared to 11% of white LGBTQ people.

·        26% of LGBTQ Americans say that they or a friend or family member who is also LGBTQ have been unfairly stopped or treated by the police because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

·        26% of LGBTQ people say that they or a friend or family member who is also LGBTQ have been unfairly stopped or treated by the police because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

·        18% of LGBTQ Americans say they have avoided medical care, even when in need, due to concern that they would be discriminated against because of their LGBTQ identity.

·        15% of LGBTQ Americans say they have avoided calling the police even when in need, due to concern that they would be discriminated against because of their LGBTQ identity.

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