Cuts to SNAP will disproportionally impact LGBT people

Although the House bill that would have cut $40 billion from the Food Stamp budget was defeated, the farm bill signed into law by President Obama on February 7, 2014 still hits the pockets of SNAP recipients hard. Approximately 850,000 low-income households will see an average of $90 per month cut from their monthly food stamp allowance. A new report from the Williams Institute shows just how devastating these cuts are to our community.

Key findings include:

• More than 1 in 4 LGBT adults (29%), approximately 2.4 million people, experienced a time in the last year when they did not have enough money to feed themselves or their family
• More than one 1 in 5 LGB adults aged 18-44 (21%), approximately 1.1 million people, participated in the SNAP program through receipt of food stamps in the past year
• Same-sex couples raising children under age 18 are 2.1 times more likely than comparable different-sex couples to receive food stamps
• Approximately 1 in 4 bisexuals (25%) receive food stamps, compared to 14% of lesbians and gay men
• While nearly 1 in 4 White LGBT adults (23%) experienced food insecurity at some point last year, the figure was more than 1 in 3 for African-American LGBT adults (37%), more than 1 in 2 for LGBT Native Americans (55%), and more than 3 in 4 for Native Hawaiians (78%)