Family Pride’s Blog

A study was released today that examines gay and lesbian consumers. The study was conducted by Community Marketing, Inc. and released key findings such as:

• There are approximately 1.3 million gay and lesbian households in the United States with children under the age of 18.
• 85% of gay men and 85% of lesbians said that advertising in gay media favorably influences their decision to purchase products or do business with a company.
• 89% of gay men and 92% of lesbians reported that the way a company treats its gay and lesbian employees impacts their decision to do business with that company, with the majority (52% and 59% respectively) saying this was strongly positive.
• 88% of gay men and 91% of lesbians report that their purchasing decisions are favorably influenced by corporate sponsorship of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) events and participation in LGBT charities.
• For gay men, the median household income is $83,000 per year (gay singles, $62,000; gay couples living together, $130,000), a figure that is almost 80% above the median U.S. household income of $46,326, according to US census data.
• 40% of gay men reported household incomes in excess of $100,000 per year. For lesbians, the median household income is $80,000 per year (lesbian singles $52,000; lesbian couples living together $96,000), and 36% of lesbians reported household incomes in excess of $100,000 per year.

I’m delighted to see that purchasing decisions are influences by a corporations support of our community. However, I find the income findings to be quite disturbing. It’s my fear that this study will reinforce the idea that gay and lesbian folks have lots of money. It supports the myth that LGBTQ people don’t need employment protections because they already make more money than the average Joe.

The Task Force released a report called the Myth Of Affluence Among Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Americans.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are not, as a class, richer than heterosexuals. In some cases, in fact, we appear to earn less than comparable heterosexuals.

• Lesbian, gay, and bisexual people are spread throughout the range of household income distribution, just as heterosexual people are.
• The popular press has taken marketing and advertising statistics for specific segments of the community and used them to stereotype the entire community.
• These myths and misconceptions about the wealth or disposable income of LGBT people have found their way into the courts in crucial civil rights challenges

The gay and lesbian consumer study is indicative of a segment of our community, but not our community as a whole. For one, participants were gathered through 75 leading online and print publications. Not everyone reads the Advocate or visits Gay.com. In fact, any LGBTQ people that can’t afford the internet or that don’t have the dispensable income to buy magazines aren’t represented in this study. Not to mention that bisexual and transgender people are entirely excluded from the study.

The myth that LGBTQ people are wealthier than the rest of the population is not only dangerous but untrue.

Here’s a sobering fact: of the estimated 1.6 million homeless American youth, between 20 and 40 percent are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

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