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A first-of-its-kind analysis found that LGBTQ+ people are more likely than the general population to be displaced after disasters and to experience challenges like food and water insecurity.
Nationwide, an estimated 2.4 percent of LGBTQ+ people said they were displaced by a disaster in the last year, compared with the estimated 1.5 percent of the total U.S. population. Previous research suggests bias in disaster response and the role of faith-based organizations in disaster recovery could be behind the disparity.
The data used in the analysis came from the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey, which was launched in April 2020 to collect data on how people were experiencing the pandemic, but has since expanded to include other aspects of American life like child care, inflation and living through natural disasters.
“It validates and underscores previous anecdotal evidence that we’ve heard throughout the country that LGBTQ people are getting disproportionately affected by disaster,” said Michael Méndez, assistant professor at the University of California, Irvine, and co-author of the report. “The data is actually quite worse than we had expected.”
The survey, which is distributed monthly, asks questions like how long someone experienced disaster-related displacement, whether they’ve dealt with food or water insecurity, issues with electricity access, unsanitary conditions, feelings of isolation and fear of crime.
Read the full article about disaster displacement by Jessica Kutz at The 19th.