June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate diversity in the communities we live and serve in and recommit ourselves to the fight for LGBTQ+ equality. Despite recent strides, studies show that the LGBTQ+ community is more than twice as likely to experience food insecurity than non-LGBTQ+ adults.
We recently read a quote from Dr. Joanne Patterson, a health equity scholar at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, stating that the idea of the LGBTQ+ population being an overall affluent community is false. She further explained, “What we actually see is there’s a fair amount of underemployment, unemployment and wage differentials that negatively affect the LGBTQ community, including a lot of workplace hiring discrimination, resulting in poverty within LGBTQ populations.” According to one study, more than 1 in 4 LGBTQ+ adults in the United States have experienced a time in the last year of not having enough money for food for themselves or their families. The chances of experiencing hunger are even higher for LBGTQ+ people of color.
The consequences of this food insecurity are alarming. Food insecurity exacerbates many physical and mental health issues, including diabetes, hypertension, depression and poorer general health and well-being. At the same time, exclusion from essential services leads to higher rates of homelessness, discrimination, and loss of support systems.
At Utah Food Bank, we believe that every person deserves access to nutritious food, regardless of who you love or how you identify. We care deeply about every Utahn experiencing food insecurity and are committed to partnering with agencies across the state to feed all our neighbors in need. We strive to build a Utah where we celebrate diversity as we all work together to create an environment where everyone can thrive.
