Primary Submission Category: LGBTQ+
“I think the most pressing LGBTQ+ issue right now is…”: Sexual and gender minority peoples’ perceptions of social and political concerns in the American Population Panel
Authors: Autumn Bermea Allen Mallory Rin Reczek
Presenting Author: Autumn Bermea*
About 7.2% of U.S. adults identify as sexual and gender minorities (SGM), which has more than doubled in the past 10 years (3.6%). Although demographic shifts have been accompanied by civil rights (e.g., enactment of non-discrimination ordinances) there are still considerable barriers to equality. Anti-SGM legislation and public figures have a negative impact on SGM health but there is not current research on which social and political events hold the most salience. We harnessed a national sample of SGM (N=2,718) to deductively answer the guiding research question of: what issues are seen as most pressing? Themes represented interpersonal and political issues. Theme 1: Interpersonal Interactions related to concerns on how SGM were treated (“Remind people that LGBT people are everyday Americans who live ordinary lives—neighbors”). Theme 2: Violence Victimization related to fears about personal safety and victimization (“Violence against queer and trans folks, especially BIPOC queer and trans folks is the most pressing social issue. Violence in the form of excessive police force, domestic and familiar abuse, forced housing and food instability, etc.”). Theme 3: Specific Laws and Events were pressing political events that targeted SGM rights (“Several states are attempting to or have gone through with removing gender affirming healthcare from being required to be covered by Medicare, as well states banning any and all gender affirming care for children/making schools required to report gender diverse behavior in children to their parents”). Theme 4: Attending to Identities was discussions of power and privilege in identifying pressing issues. The most common were related to trans experiences (“i think the most pressing LGBTQ+ issue right now is the attack on transgender rights…”) and intersectionality (“social media, white cis gay men privilege, job security, trans healthcare, trans protective legislation, violence against black trans women, queer sex ed, poverty”).