A Divided Community: BIPOC, LGBTQ Food Insecurity
How Food Insecurity Impacts BIPOC Disproportionately in the LGBTQ Community
Many urban communities bustle with pedestrians, hip restaurants, small music venues, and “hole-in-the-wall” bars frequented by many. A great deal of the people living in these communities rarely bother to cook for themselves, no matter their ostentatious kitchen. They meet with friends, enjoy a craft beer, grab a burger, and trot home past several chain grocery stores and adorable, independently-owned markets.
The percentage of people in the LGBTQ community who are food insecure is more than twice that of the general population.
Meanwhile, a first-generation, Dominican, transgender girl was just rejected by her parents, who “came to America to raise their son.” She leaves her home, less than two miles from the hip restaurants, and stares at a blank parking lot. To her right are several fast-food restaurants and liquor stores. To her left are a gas station and more liquor stores. This environment is the definition of food insecurity: quite literally, the lack of consistent access to nutrient-dense foods and fresh produce. And it impacts Black people, Indigenous people, and other people of color (BIPOC) disproportionately.
The high amount of liquor and alcohol stores in these communities, who are statistically more likely to be people of color, result in increased risks of alcoholism, drug abuse, and mental illness. In lieu of grocery stores, the streets are lined with fast-food restaurants offering cheap, kid-friendly, high-indulgence junk. But this is not a new story; most of us have heard about how food insecurity impacts low-income communities in the backyards of higher income, mostly white, communities.
However, most people do not know that this entire scenario is more likely to occur to someone who is a BIPOC and part of the LGBTQ community. So much so that one-third of people in the transgender community have experienced homelessness. Among these individuals, 70 percent report being verbally harassed or sexually assaulted in homeless shelters. And subsequently, one in every five transgender, BIPOC people have engaged in survival sex work. Rates of HIV, poor mental health, and suicide are all greater in these individuals.
Needless to say, there are systemic problems that impact BIPOC within the LGBTQ community in much greater numbers than either their heterosexual or white counterparts. The issues of food insecurity, homelessness, increased risk of poor mental health, and reluctance to engage in the healthcare environment all directly impact how people eat. One in every four LGBTQ people experienced food insecurity in the last year, with even higher rates among women and BIPOC.
The percentage of people in the LGBTQ community who are food insecure is more than twice that of the general population. Shockingly, half of all Black, LGBTQ people reported in a Gallup survey not eating anything because they did not have enough money for food at least once in the past year. Pair food insecurity with homelessness, as occurs so often for people who are BIPOC in the LGBTQ community, and you have a perfect recipe for nutrition-related diseases (such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer).
Sadly, the state of our healthcare system does not at present bode well for people in our community. Rates of healthcare discrimination are greater for those who are transgender and BIPOC, often leading to poor compliance with doctor’s visits, lapsing health insurance coverage, and undiagnosed diseases that increase risk of death. Healthcare discrimination can be characterized in many different ways: refusal to provide care, denial of the person’s gender identity, or verbal harassment, just to name a few.
It goes without saying that seeking the help of a registered dietitian (RD) is these patient’s last concern, despite all that an RD can do to provide assistance. One of the roles of the RD is to help people find nutrient-dense choices in their living environment, such as food pantries and free meal programs for individuals and families. The RD is also the perfect person to work with to engage in conversations around applying for government services to alleviate aspects of food insecurity, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—also known as “food stamps.”
Nutrition becomes a primary concern among these individuals within our community because the lack of access to food is so great. Even when consuming high sugar, high-fat, processed junk food, the body can experience malnutrition, or lack of sufficient nutrition, because of the absence of the micronutrients—vitamins and minerals—necessary for everything from basic body mechanics to immune protection. Malnutrition is the key to disease; nutrient-dense foods are the only fuel people have to survive and thrive. People in food-insecure communities need more access to fresh food, simple as that.
There are ways to help, if you can. Donate your money or your time to organizations that provide food pantries, meal distribution days, or meal centers (aka “soup kitchens”) and that support people within the LGBTQ community, specifically. The best time to offer your help is not during the holiday season—many places are inundated with volunteers and have to send people home around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Locally, The Center on Colfax partners with many other community allies in Denver, Aurora, and the surrounding counties to assist those within the LGBTQ population get access to healthcare, nutrition, and mental health services. It is time that all members of our community, who are able, step up and support those who need it.
