Most LGBTQ Americans have experienced harassment, violence

A new survey found that a majority of LGBTQ people have experienced some form of harassment, discrimination, or violence during their lives.

The survey, which was conducted for an NPR series called “Discrimination in America,” included reports from over 3,000 U.S. adults age 18 or older who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or questioning.

The results confirm that most LGBTQ Americans have experienced multiple forms of discrimination.

“This report confirms the extraordinarily high levels of violence and harassment in LGBTQ people’s lives,” said Logan Casey, a deputy director of the survey. “It also shows the serious barriers to health care for LGBTQ and especially transgender people in America.”

Among the most startling numbers in the survey include 57 percent who say that they or an LGBTQ friend or family member have been harassed or threatened because of their identity.

51 percent of LGBTQ people have experienced sexual harassment or violence.

Almost 1 in 5 of the people surveyed said they avoided medical care because they were worried about facing discrimination.

31 percent of all transgender people in the survey said they have no regular doctor or healthcare professional, with 22 percent currently uninsured.  

Another 22 percent report some form of discrimination in the workplace, and the same percent of people reported difficulties trying to rent an apartment or buy a house specifically because of their LGBTQ identity.

One in 5 LGBTQ Americans report that they were personally discriminated against while applying for or attending college.

One of the most troubling results of the survey was the discrimination members of the LGBTQ community faced when dealing with law enforcement. Almost one in six LGBTQ people say were discriminated against when talking with police officers.

Nearly 100 percent of the survey participants believe that there is discrimination against  members of the LGBTQ community, but there is a question of whether discriminatory laws and policy or if individual prejudice is the larger problem.

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By Kay Vandette, Earth.com Staff Writer