Celebrate & Support LGBTQ Families

LGBTQ families are part of the fabric of communities across the United States

Today is #LGBTQFamiliesDay, a day to celebrate the resilience and beauty of LGBTQ families and to increase knowledge about who they are, the challenges they face, and what policies are needed to support them. Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and the monumental economic hardships it has brought to millions in the United States, it is helpful to understand the economic diversity and lives of LGBTQ parents and their families. After all, LGBTQ families are part of the fabric of communities across the country, and many of them are facing economic insecurity and financial stress as a result of the pandemic.

Best estimates suggest that there are nearly 3 million people in the United States who identify as LGBTQ and are parents. There are many ways in which LGBTQ people become parents, including:

• People who choose to intentionally parent individually
• People who choose to intentionally parent with one or more other people, sometimes referred to as ‘intentional LGBTQ parents’
• People who had children from a previous relationship before identifying to others — or even recognizing their own identities — as LGBTQ

And research finds that LGBTQ parents and their families are racially and ethnically diverse, they live in all areas across the country, and they navigate many of the same parenting joys and challenges as other parents.

A new book about LGBTQ families features a chapter specifically focused on the economic wellbeing of LGBTQ parents and their families. The chapter is co-authored by MAP policy and research director Naomi Goldberg, Alyssa Schneebaum of the Vienna University of Economics and Business, Laura Durso of Whitman-Walker Institute, and Lee Badgett of the Williams Institute and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The chapter, “LGBTQ-Parents Families in the United States and Economic Well-Being,” summarizes the research from nationally representative surveys and concludes that LGBTQ people and same-sex couples raising children face greater economic challenges compared to their non-LGBTQ and different-sex couple peers. This is in large part due to the fact that some LGBTQ parents are more likely to be women and thus paid less and have higher rates of poverty; are relatively young; and are more likely to be people of color (34% of same-sex couples raising children). Particularly important today is the fact that these are the same communities — women, younger workers, and people of color — who are bearing the economic brunt of COVID-19, especially when they have already been at risk for higher rates of economic insecurity prior to the pandemic.¹

Take Action

Hundreds of people have taken part in #LGBTQFamiliesDay, including parents across the LGBTQ spectrum, LGBTQ individuals without children, children of LGBTQ parents, and non-LGBTQ allies. Anyone who supports LGBTQ families is welcome to participate:

• Post, tweet, or share on any social media channel in celebration and support of LGBTQ families on today, and include the hashtag #LGBTQFamiliesDay
• The award-winning children’s music duo Ants on a Log will be holding a special live online concert for #LGBTQFamiliesDay. The Ants will be joining Family Equality tonight from 6:30–7:30pm EDT — catch the show on Family Equality’s Facebook page

Visit mombian.com/lgbtqfamiliesday to learn more.

¹ For example, the chapter outlines four key economic indicators for LGBTQ families, including overall household income, poverty rates, experiences of food insecurity, and receipt of public benefits such as food assistance known as SNAP.