7 LGBT Issues That Matter More Than Marriage

40% of homeless youth identify as LGBT. 68% of those kids were kicked out of their families and homes because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and 54% reported being survivors of abuse from their families. These experiences leave these young people particularly vulnerable to mental and physical health issues, and lead to unfair criminalization of queer and trans* youth.

There were 2,000 incidents of anti-LGBT hate violence in 2012. In the past few months, we’ve seen the murder of Islan Nettles (a trans* woman) and the shooting of Mark Carson (a gay man). In May, there were at least 7 anti-LGBT attacks in New York City alone.

Many of the issues facing the general LGBT population are even worse for people of color. For example, LGBT people of color are almost twice as likely to experience physical violence, and 73.1% of all anti-LGBTQ homicide victims in 2012 were people of color. Islan Nettles and Mark Carson, the two victims of anti-queer violence this summer, were people of color. Violence is just one issue that is compounded by racial injustice — you can find racism at the root of every other issue on this list. Racial justice, or “the systematic fair treatment of people of all races, resulting in equal opportunities and outcomes for all,” is not specific to LGBT people, but true justice for LGBT people can’t be achieved if not all of us are liberated.

An estimated 2.7% of our nation’s undocumented immigrants identify as LGBT. In fact, undocumented queer youth have been integral to building the immigration movement. Queer folks who are immigrants have multiple layers of experience living between literal and figurative borders, and can help us all dream beyond the current limitations of our immigration system. Additionally, the deportation and detention process for migrants is particularly pernicious for LGBT folks, who are often the subjects of harassment and abuse. A recent report from the National Center for Transgender Equality highlights the issues faced by trans* migrants in particular.

There exist significant disparities in health between heterosexual and LGBT people. The Center for American Progress identified 14 health disparities between straight and LGBT adults in 2009. For example, 82% of heterosexual adults had health insurance, while only 77% of LGB adults, and 57% of transgender adults, had health insurance. Similarly, 83% of heterosexual adults reported excellent or very good health, compared to only 77% of LGB adults and 67% of transgender adults. The expansion of access to health care in the U.S. should be a priority of the LGBT movement, beyond accessing a spouse’s medical plan through legalized marriage.

Despite the popular images of wealthy LGB celebrities, many queer and trans* people are low-income. Employment discrimination, lack of health insurance, homelessness, and other factors make LGBT people particularly vulnerable to the impact of economic inequality. Gay and lesbian families (especially the latter) are significantly more likely to be living below the poverty line than heterosexual married families, and children in gay and lesbian households are twice as likely to live in poverty as compared to children in homes with heterosexual parents. And given the legacy of racism in the U.S., the statistics are even worse for LGBT people of color.

Empowerment of trans* people must be central to the movement for LGBT justice. Many trans* people live in extreme poverty, and are almost four times more likely than heterosexual and LGB people to have a household income of less than $10,000 per year. 41% of trans* people have attempted suicide, compared to 1.6% of the general population. Trans* people are consistently abused, discriminated against, harassed, and assaulted. Too often, the “T” gets excluded from LGBT initiatives and campaigns. We have to realize that we can’t have LGBT/queer justice without trans* justice.