We celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride each June to work for equal justice and opportunity for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Current inequality contributes to 22% of LGBTQ+ adults having incomes below the poverty line, compared to 16% poverty for cisgender, heterosexual adults. The income disparities are even more significant for Black and Hispanic LGBTQ+ members as well as transgender and gender nonconforming adults.
To ensure that we provide equitable service, OSLSA has a committee specifically focused on outreach to LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly those residing in our rural communities where fewer organizations exist to support them. In recent years, we adjusted our intake procedures and language to promote an inclusive point of entry for all who contact us. Our DEI Committee helped coordinate an all-staff training, and our LGBTQ+ Affinity Group has started offering substantive trainings with a focus on serving some of the unique legal needs of the LGBTQ+ community.
Our teams work directly on issues of critical importance for the LGBTQ+ community. For example, national data shows that nearly 43% of LGBTQ+ students have been bullied on school property. SEOLS and LASC are committed to advocating for healthy learning environments for all students, and we represent LGBTQ+ students who have experienced bullying to help create safety plans and be provided necessary resources to safely thrive at school.
LGBTQ+ people also continue to face significant bias based on sexual orientation and gender identity in both buying and renting housing. Our Fair Housing Attorneys provide education and outreach and legal assistance in investigating claims of housing discrimination for all protected classes including those involving sexual orientation and gender identity.
Further, LGBTQ+ people experience physical and sexual dating violence at twice the rate as non-LGBTQ+ people, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Our advocates help survivors with protection orders and other family law matters to help keep all families safe.
In these areas, and many others, OSLSA is proud to be a part of working toward equity, justice, and opportunity for those in the LGBTQ+ community. While Pride month can be a time to raise awareness about these critical services, we know that it is equally important that our advocacy for low-income members of the LGBTQ+ community continues throughout the year, and in our ongoing effort to make LASC and SEOLS a safe place for clients to turn, we are committed to this challenge.
