Description of the Indicator
The LGBTQ+ community data indicates the percentage of Pennsylvanians identifying as LGBTQ+, also categorized by age, workforce engagement, and child-rearing activities. This metric also includes the percentages of the LGBTQ+ population who feel respected and receive the social and emotional support they need.
Why is it important?
Like members of other marginalized groups, people who are LGBTQ+ face disparities in economic status, health, and other outcomes. Collecting data on sexual orientation and gender identity helps define those specific disparities, which is an important first step to addressing them.
How is the region performing?
Among Pennsylvanians who identify as LGBTQIA+, only 36.0 percent report feeling safe expressing their identity either all the time or sometimes. When asked about receiving the social and emotional support that they need, 37.0 percent of respondents reported that they either always or often receive support, 39.4 percent report they receive support sometimes, and 23.6 percent report that they rarely or never receive support. Violence was the most frequently selected community health priority issue, selected by 43.9 percent of respondents. Violence was noted as including hate crimes, gun violence, intimate partner violence, rape, and sexual assault. Access to welcoming care (38.6 percent) and depression/anxiety (36.7 percent) closely follow in the number two and number three priorities, respectively. The data does not show improvement from the prior year.