The Southeast is home to roughly 35 percent of LGBT people in the U.S., the largest LGBT population in the country, according to data compiled by the Williams Institute at UCLA. This find might seem surprising to some since most Southeastern states have few or no policies protecting LGBT people. A team of researchers in Georgia are seeking to learn more about the lives of LGBT people in the South. Eric Wright, who chairs the sociology department at Georgia State University, says there are a number of reasons why so many LGBT people call this region home.
"One of which is that the cost of living generally speaking is lower in the U.S. South than in other parts of the country," he says. "There's also been what some researchers have called a reverse migration, particularly of minorities."
That means many Southern LGBT people who migrated to more progressive areas of the country are returning to the Southeast. To find out why so many call this place home, Wright and his research partner, Ryan Roemerman with the LGBT Institute created what they call the Southern Survey. It's a comprehensive study that seeks to examine the lives of LGBT people across 14 Southern states.
"One of the things that we want to be able to accomplish through this survey is to be able to provide our non-profit partners across the South with data that they can use for policy development, grassroots organizing and fundraising," Roemerman says.
The survey is by and for LGBT people in the South. This may help them better understand individual needs of the community, such as housing for transgender people or health services for lesbians living in rural areas, Wright says . And, he says, it will also help decipher the needs of this community in different Southern states. According to the LGBT Institute, more than half of the 100 anti-LGBT bills proposed this year were drafted in Southeastern states.
The survey is open through this month and the team expects to release its findings early next year.
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1 comment:
Very interesting facts which proves that just «Human Rights» aren't the same across the USA. A country that is divided on many case and not providing real safety to ALL its citizens.
Just seeing that black civil rights are still struggling in many states shows the weakness of federal laws. Now and more since this «moron 45» is in office, Washington changed towards the far right religious side and allowed KKK and White Suprematists to go on streets un punsished and even encouraged by «45's» words.
In Alabama last election, you even had a Republican pedophile well known that could easily go on election and even encouraged by religious people and the president too.
USA is a sick country and even if that research tend to show some improvement in LGBT lives in those narrow minded states, the truth is that they have to hide themselves and try to be a low profile as possible.
I went to North and South Carolina in the past and must admit that my boyfriend and I did have to be very careful not to show that we were a «real couple» in life. More, on radio there was so many «religious» channels that it was very sad to hear from our Canadian point of view.
In a Myrtel Beach restaurant, we had that cute waiter and it was obvious he was gay and that he was looking to us in a envious way. Not to mention he was quite nice to us and gave us a very good service. LOL !
USA have a long road to go on to achieve real EQUALITY to ALL its citizens.
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