Executive Summary
This study used data gathered between 2015 and 2021 on the annual California Health Interview Survey to examine the demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics of Asian non-citizen LGBT immigrants. We focus on non-citizens1 because they are a group at heightened vulnerability to low socioeconomic status and poor health. Information about U.S.-born Asian LGBT people and Asian non-LGBT non-citizens is presented to identify similarities and differences in the needs of these overlapping communities.
Overall, Asian LGBT non-citizens were younger and less likely to be married or raising children than their non-LGBT counterparts. However, they reported higher levels of English proficiency. Almost a third of Asian LGBT non-citizens were living at less than 200% of the federal poverty level, and over a third reported not having a usual source of health care. For those with low incomes, half reported food insecurity.
Key Findings
- More than half of Asian LGBT non-citizens, cisgender and transgender, identified as bisexual (58.2%) and 28.4% as gay/lesbian, while some (13.4%) identified as heterosexual and were also transgender.
- Among non-citizens, Asian LGBT people were younger than their non-LGBT counterparts. About two-thirds (67.7%) of Asian LGBT non-citizens were under the age of 35 compared to just over 40 percent (43.9%) of their non-LGBT counterparts.
- Slightly more than half (52.0%) of all Asian LGBT non-citizens were cisgender women, about one-third (32.7%) were cisgender men, and 15.3% were transgender (of all gender identities and both sexes assigned at birth).
- Among non-citizens, Asian LGBT people were less likely to be coupled and raising children than their non-LGBT counterparts. More than a quarter (28.0%) of LGBT non-citizens were married or living with a partner compared to 67.9% of their non-LGBT peers. About 7.4% of LGBT non-citizens had kids compared to 37.8% of their non-LGBT peers.
- Many Asian LGBT non-citizens are multi-lingual. Slightly more than half (51.8%) spoke one or more Asian languages at home, including Cantonese, Tagalog, Korean, and Vietnamese in addition to English. Another 26.5% spoke only languages other than English at home. Most (88.7%) LGBT non-citizens indicated they spoke English well or very well. However, more than one in ten (11.3%) reported not speaking English well.
- Although most (85.5%) Asian LGBT non-citizens were in the workforce, almost a third (31.0%) were living at less than 200% of the federal poverty level.
- While half (50.3%) of Asian LGBT non-citizens living at less than 200% of the federal poverty level were food insecure, relatively few (17.9%) were enrolled in the CalFresh food stamp benefits program.
- More Asian LGBT non-citizens were experiencing psychological distress than their non-LGBT non-citizen peers (26.8% vs. 4.6%, respectively).
- Over a third (38.8%) of LGBT non-citizens reported that they did not have a usual source of health care—more than twice the proportion of U.S.-born LGBT peers who said that they did not have a usual source of care (14.6%).
These findings indicate a need to address the socioeconomic and health challenges faced by Asian LGBT non-citizens, including poverty, food insecurity, barriers to accessing health care, and higher rates of psychological distress. The findings also indicate a need to increase enrollment in primary health care and food support programs for Asian LGBT non-citizens. Outreach and support programs should consider that Asian LGBT non-citizens are younger and less likely to be married or have children than their non-LGBT counterparts. Finally, more research on Asian LGBT immigrants is needed, including research with large enough samples to compare the socioeconomic and health characteristics of Asian LGBT immigrants who are authorized to be in the U.S. by government officials with those who are not and to make comparisons by country of origin.