NPWF Urges Lawmakers to Pass Critical Policies To Support All Families

WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 14, 2023 – A new report from the National Partnership for Women & Families finds that LGBTQI+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex) parents have more difficulty paying for everyday expenses such as food, rent and medical bills than other groups. The new findings come as a record number of attacks on the LGBTQI+ community take place in states across the country.

Based on a new analysis of the Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, with data collected from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) respondents, the report reveals the critical need for federal data collection that is inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity, paired with policies that address discrimination. In addition, NPWF researchers call for family support policies that are inclusive of all LGBTQI+ families.

According to the findings, LGBT parents were nearly 70 percent more likely than non-LGBT parents to say that they did not have enough to eat in 2021. In recent months,the share of LGBT parents reporting food insecurity has increased. Inequities were especially acute for LGBTQI+ parents living at the intersection of multiple identities facing widespread and systemic discrimination, such as being a person of color or having a disability. In recent months, 47 percent of Black LGBT parents and 54 percent of disabled LGBT parents reported having difficulty paying household expenses.

“LGBTQI+ families face dire threats to their safety and security. At a time when extremist state legislators are escalating attacks against the very existence of these families, our nation’s leaders must step up and enact solutions that will help protect LGBTQI+ people,” said Jocelyn Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. “Policymakers need to center the challenges confronting the LGBTQI+ community — particularly those people who deal with compounding challenges due to their intersectional identities — and take bold steps to ensure every LGBTQI+ person can live with stability and dignity.”

The analysis finds that LGBT parents, including Black, multiracial, and Hispanic/Latino LGBT parents and those with a disability, were less likely to receive advance payments of the Child Tax Credit, which benefited many families and cut the child poverty rate to historic lows in 2021.

“You measure what you value and our policymakers need quality data on LGBTQI+ families to inform policymaking,” said Sharita Gruberg, vice president for economic security at the National Partnership for Women & Families. “Without these data, policymakers don’t know how current policies are impacting the community or what changes are needed to ensure LGBTQI+ families can access and keep jobs, and put food on the table.”

The new research comes as LGBTQI+ people are facing an increase in discrimination and policies that are taking away their ability to live and participate in our society. It provides recommendations for both Congress and the Biden administration, including passage of the Equality Act and the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act as well as the Healthy Families Act, FAMILY Act and Caring for All Families Act, among other legislation, and prioritizing the implementation of the Federal Evidence Agenda on LGBTQI+ Equity.

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