The Stonewall Rebellion is widely recognized as an event that sparked the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights movement.
On June 28, 1969, patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a tiny gay bar in New York City, fought back against the police as they raided the premises.
Black transgender women played key roles in the starting point of LGBTQ+ equality, although their contributions have often been overlooked, even within the gay community. In My Stonewall Is Black, writer and activist George M. Johnson tackles this issue.
Ongoing discrimination – rooted in homophobia and transphobia – has a significant negative impact on members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Research from the Center for American Progress shows that LGBTQ+ individuals experience widespread discrimination, often manifesting itself as getting passed over for promotions, being bullied in schools, being refused healthcare, or being denied equal treatment at a store or hotel. The intersectionality of race and sexual orientation and gender identity also has compounding effects on individuals’ well-being: Black transgender and gender non-conforming individuals experience some of the highest levels of discrimination and threats on their personal safety.
Though Black same-sex couples earn about the same median income (average of $41,500) as their Black straight counterparts, they lag behind white same-sex couples ($63,500) in household income. Households headed by Black lesbian couples experience substantial disparities in earnings compared to their Black married heterosexual counterparts, making $10,000 less. This gender wealth gap echoes analysis by the Williams Institute that shows Black lesbian couples have poverty rates of 21.1 percent compared to just 4.3 percent for white lesbians and 14.4 percent for gay Black men. Further, Black lesbians raising children are twice as likely to be living in poverty. (Center for American Progress)
Did You Know?
Latinx support for LGBTQ+ issues is strong and ever growing:
- 59% say that same-sex attraction should be accepted by society.
- 54% support marriage between same-sex couples, outpacing the population, of which 53% support marriage for gay couples, according to a 2012 Gallup poll.
- According to a 2010 Bendixen & Amandi International poll of Latinx individuals in the U.S.:
- 80% believe gay people often face discrimination.
- 83% support housing and employment non-discrimination protections.
- 75% support school policies to prevent harassment and bullying of students who are or are perceived to be gay.
- 55% (and 68% of Latinx Catholics) say that being gay is morally acceptable.
