New report finds LGBTQ+ and intersex Americans faced much discrimination in 2024

LGBTQ+ and intersex Americans experienced high rates of discrimination in 2024 across every aspect of life — including employment, health care, and education, according to a new report from the Center for American Progress.

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The information comes from the third wave of the center’s LGBTQI+ Community Survey, the first and second waves having been conducted in 2020 and 2022, respectively. The center conducted it in partnership with NORC, a research group at the University of Chicago, over three weeks in July. It included a nationally representative sampling of LGBTQI+ and non-LGBTQI+ people over 18 in the U.S., with a total of 3,360 respondents, 1,703 being LGBTQI+ and 1,657 straight and cisgender.

“The results of the 2024 survey make it worryingly clear that LGBTQI+ communities struggle with discrimination and hardship in many areas of life,” the report notes. “These new data can provide crucial insights for engaging in evidence-based policymaking, informing the care of LGBTQI+ patients, and more.”

“Major findings of the 2024 survey include that more than one-third — 36 percent — of LGBTQI+ adults in the United States experienced some kind of discrimination in the previous year,” according to the report. The figure was 40 percent for LGBTQI+ people of color.

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Transgender people experienced some of the highest rates of discrimination, with 62 percent reporting it overall. Nearly half of trans respondents encountered discrimination in stores, restaurants, public transportation, and restrooms, and more than 20 percent experienced housing discrimination.

Among other key findings, 23 percent of LGBTQI+ adults reported workplace discrimination, and almost one-fourth of intersex adults had to travel to a different state in order to access abortion, reproductive, or maternal care because laws in their state ban or restrict it. The possibility of discrimination affected many LGBTQI+ respondents’ decisions about where to work and live, while leading some to hide their relationships.

“Experiencing discrimination carries a range of costly impacts,” the center explains. “Discrimination affected the mental well-being of 52 percent of LGBTQI+ adults ‘significantly or more.’ This jumps to 61 percent for disabled LGBTQI+ adults and 74 percent for transgender adults. Discrimination also affected LGBTQI+ people physically, with 29 percent of LGBTQI+ survey respondents reporting at least ‘moderate’ impacts on their physical well-being in 2024. In addition to mental and physical well-being, discrimination affected LGBTQI+ people’s financial well-being, with nearly one-third of LGBTQI+ adults (31 percent) reporting it did so ‘significantly or more.’”

LGBTQI+ people were more likely than others to put off or avoid medical care because of the possibility of discrimination and other barriers, such as cost or challenges in dealing with insurance companies. Thirty-three percent of LGBTQI+ respondents postponed care because they could not afford it, compared with 15 percent of those who are not part of the LGBTQI+ population.

Forty-five percent of trans respondents and 60 percent of intersex respondents postponed care due to cost. Thirty-seven percent of trans people put off medical care or did not seek it at all because they feared disrespect and discrimination. Those fears were often justified, with significant proportions being misgendered, having to educate health care providers about trans identity, or finding that providers would not document their experiences of gender dysphoria.

“Furthermore, LGBTQI+ adults struggled to access mental health care: 35 percent of LGBTQI+ adults; 44 percent of transgender adults; and 46 percent of disabled LGBTQI+ adults wanted to see a therapist or mental health professional but could not afford to do so,” the report states. And trans and intersex people who did access mental health care often felt they could not discuss their identity with the provider.

LGBTQI+ people also reported difficulty attaining financial security. They earned less than their straight and cisgender peers despite having similar levels of education. The mean household income for LGBTQI+ adults last year was $69,670 — more than $12,000 less than the mean household income of non-LGBTQI+ adults in the same period,” according to the center. “Twenty-six percent of LGBTQI+ adults reported earning less than $30,000 in 2024, slightly higher than the 22 percent of non-LGBTQI+ adults who reported the same. Among transgender adults, 40 percent earned less than $30,000 and an additional 29 percent earned less than $60,000.”

“This all suggests that LGBTQI+ people are working in lower-paying jobs, despite pursuing training and education, than comparable non-LGBTQI+ adults,” the report continues “However, also part of the story are the high rates of discrimination in the workplace reported by LGBTQI+ people.”

To rectify the situation, the Center for American Progress recommends that Congress pass the Equality Act, which would outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity on a national basis in many aspects of life, such as employment, housing, credit, and more. However, this is unlikely with Republicans in control of both the U.S. Senate and House and a hostile president — perhaps “the most anti-LGBTQI+ administration in recent history,” the center notes.

But state and local governments can fight discrimination too. “Decision-makers at all levels of government should ensure that their constituents have equitable access to health care, housing, employment, and public spaces,” the report concludes.