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There are similar differences in demographic and other characteristics across racial groups among LGBT people that could be relevant to understanding the impact of race on well-being. This white gay privilege exists year-round, but it is particularly frustrating during Pride.

All communities struggle in some way with race, and the LGBTQ community is no different.

This report, along with the previous reports in this series demonstrating LGBT differences within racialized groups, highlight the ways sexual orientation, gender, and racial social statuses represent significant locations of inequities in the U.S. Further, findings from White LGBT Adults in the US indicate that White non-LGBT people, particularly men, report higher levels of well-being across most health and economic domains than all LGBT people.

Finally, AIAN and Latinx LGBT adults have among the highest rates of being uninsured for health care (see Table A2).

Source: Gallup, 2012-2017
Note: AIAN=American Indian/Alaska Native, NH/PI=Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

Considering Social Context when Examining Race and SOGI Disparities

As we have noted across the reports in these series, there are several core demographic and social life differences between LGBT and non-LGBT people that may be factors in the health and economic differences observed.

The assumption here being that Hennessy is a “Black” drink, and that Black patrons are more violent and thus should only be trusted with plastic cups. AfricanAmericans make up more than 40 percent of all people living with HIV in the United States, despite African Americans comprising only 12 percent of the U.S.

population.

White gay privilege exists all year, but it is particularly hurtful during Pride

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the event that arguably jumpstarted the modern LGBTQ movement. For example, 47% of POC LGBT adults were living in a low-income household compared to 36% of White LGBT adults.

Throughout the reports in this series, LGBT Well-Being at the Intersection of Race, we examine race and differences among LGBT adults by race, not as a biological characteristic, but as a social construct that has evolved in numerous ways in the U.S. in the interests of White supremacy. Similar percentages of women and men of color who are LGBT report having overall poor or fair health, and all have higher than White LGBT men and women.

Further, more women of color who identify as LGBT reported living in a low-income household, and experiencing unemployment and food insecurity compared to all other groups. Overall, the series of papers demonstrate that the relationship between race and LGBT status is a complicated one that differs by outcome and racialized group.

But there are other core differences among people of color that warrant highlighting. We watch violence occurring at alarming rates in the Black queer community while rainbow capitalism continues to dominate an “inclusion” conversation that never seems to include us.

While Black queer people are still fighting for survival, white queer people were fighting for marriage equality.

With regard to gender, LGBT women of color report higher rates of many mental health and economic outcomes than their male counterparts, but this is not always the case. She also expressed xenophobic and Islamophobic views in her book Un cri dans le silence (A Cry in the Silence).

In turn, she was fined six times, with her largest being in 2020 when she had to pay €20,000 ($23,500) after she referred to the inhabitants of Réunion island as "degenerate savages" with "savage genes." In total, Brigitte paid €50,000 to €55,000 ($59,000 to $65,000) in fines for racist crimes.

Brigitte had also been accused of being an anti-feminist after she dismissed the #MeToo movement as "hypocritical" and "ridiculous." The 91-year-old even went as far as to say many actresses "tease" producers to get roles and then claim harassment to gain publicity.

Throughout her life, Brigitte had also been a critic of the LGBTQ+ community, once referring to gay people as "fairground freaks" and complaining about the visibility of transgender people.

Politically, she has often been referred to as a "Neo-Nazi," due to her aforementioned views and alignment with the far-right.

Brigitte was a staunch supporter of Marine Le Pen, and the National Front, a far-right French political party.

This final brief in the series of reports on race and LGBT status adds to this work by synthesizing what the data show about the role of race among LGBT people in prevalence of economic, health, and social disparities.

White Privilege and LGBT Well-Being

In most domains of health and social and economic well-being, LGBT people of color (POC) fared worse than White LGBT people.

This is not to say that marriage equality isn’t important, but it is certainly not the only fight. It also has the potential to obscure the way LGBT status has an ever-salient role in understanding mental health disparities regardless of race. When gender differences are considered, more LGBT White men have college degrees and less of this group have children than all POC groups and White LGBT women (see Table A1).

Source: Gallup, 2012-2017
Note: * indicates that estimates between LGBT POC and White LGBT adults are statistically different.

Other social factors and experiences relevant to both health and economic well-being include experiences with employment and housing, as well chronic stress, discrimination, and victimization.

Specifically, fewer POC LGBT adults report depression diagnoses compared to White LGBT people. Additionally, disparities for POC LGBT adults persist in the health domain, except for measures of depression where more White LGBT adults report having depression compared with POC LGBT adults. Gay bar Number 9 in D.C. used to charge a cover only on Fridays — the night that the crowd was primarily Black.

Although white queer people share in our queer oppression, they are still beneficiaries of white supremacy — and are not above wielding that power in our “safe spaces.” In 2017 during Philly Pride, for example, the attempt was made to add a black and brown stripe to the rainbow flag.

Also, among POC LGBT people, Latinx and Asian American people reported lower levels of unemployment than the other groups.