A new report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds that 15% of LGBT adults—nearly 2.1 million people, including 250,000 transgender individuals—received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in the past year, compared to 11% of non-LGBT adults.
Almost seven in 10 (69%) LGBT adults who received SNAP benefits had household incomes under $35,000, two-thirds (66%) were living with a disability, and nearly half (49%) had a child under 18 living in their household.
SNAP is the largest anti-hunger program in the country. The current Budget Reconciliation Bill, passed by the House and now under consideration by the Senate, would impose significant cuts to SNAP, including reducing federal funding, expanding work requirements, lowering benefit amounts, and further restricting immigration eligibility.
“Research shows that LGBT adults and youth are at higher risk of food insecurity compared to non-LGBT people,” said lead author Brad Sears, Distinguished Senior Scholar of Law and Policy at the Williams Institute. “Reducing SNAP benefits would disproportionately affect cisgender lesbian and bisexual women, transgender individuals, and LGBT people of color, who are more likely to face poverty and depend on food assistance.”
Expanding work requirements will create additional barriers for LGBT adults trying to apply for and maintain SNAP benefits. Over 90% of LGBT adults who received SNAP (91%) were either currently working (42%), had worked in the past year (6%), were students (8%), homemakers (9%), retired (5%), or were unable to work (21%).