Out & Counted Research Report Released
Community findings suggest an affordability cliff, loneliness paradox & alarming health-risk behaviors among LGBTQ young adults
Washington, DC - Today, the Wanda Alston Foundation and the LGBTQ+ Politics Research Initiative at Loyola Marymount University are releasing an Out & Counted Research Report based on a robust community survey. The report, based on a survey of 304 LGBTQ+ young adults aged 18-30 who are residents of Washington, D.C., spotlights several challenges faced by this community:
LGBTQ+ Housing & Shelter Crisis
One in four experienced housing instability in their lifetime, with 67% of these experiencing housing instability within the past year.
These local findings outpace the crisis on a national scale.
Affordability Cliff & Queer Flight
Despite high workforce participation, DC’s LGBTQ+ young people are being priced out. A staggering 79% reported difficulty paying rent or mortgage, a sharp contrast to the approximately 45-50% rent-burdened rate seen in the general D.C. population.
Nearly half reported struggling to afford basic necessities.
1 in 3 said they were considering leaving the District because of housing insecurity.
The Loneliness Paradox
In one of the most visible LGBTQ+ hubs in the country, a profound isolation persists. Over 80% feel isolated often or some of the time.
More than half rate their mental health as only "fair" or "poor."
Alarming Health-Risk Behaviors
Tobacco and nicotine use, alcohol use, and marijuana use were significantly higher among LGBTQ+ youth than the D.C. Department of Health’s benchmarks for the general adult population.
“These findings suggest the District’s LGBTQ+ young people are being pushed to the brink. They are working hard, yet hitting an affordability cliff, deepened by a loneliness paradox and alarming health-risk behaviors,” said Cesar Toledo, Executive Director of the Wanda Alston Foundation. “To ignore these findings is to accept a 'Queer Flight' that will displace our LGBTQ+ community and drain the very lavender economic engine that Wells Fargo once famously noted as a secret sauce to economic growth.”
“These findings raise serious concerns regarding affordability and the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth in a city that has long welcomed the LGBTQ+ community,” said Gabriele Magni, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the LGBTQ+ Politics Research Initiative at Loyola Marymount University. “This data also warns that LGBTQ+ individuals could be priced out of traditional LGBTQ+ hubs, which have historically been instrumental in advancing the movement for LGBTQ+ equality.”
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About Wanda Alston Foundation
Since 2008, the Wanda Alston Foundation has been providing housing, support services, and pathways to economic mobility for at-risk & homeless LGBTQ+ youth in the Nation’s Capital. More here.
About Loyola Marymount University’s LGBTQ+ Politics Research Initiative
Associate Professor of Political Science Gabriele Magni is the Founding Director of the LGBTQ+ Politics Research Initiative at Loyola Marymount University, which studies the political behavior of LGBTQ+ elites and individuals, fosters conversations with LGBTQ+ leaders, and offers research opportunities to students. More here.