ABSTRACT
In 2021, Gallup estimated that 5.6% of Americans identified as LGBT, an overall estimate which has steadily increased since 2012. Within that population, an estimated 58% identify as women and over 40% are people of color. However, progress seems markedly stalled for queer women of color: A strikingly small proportion of LGBTQ+ candidates were women of color. In 2021, only 10% of LGBTQ candidates were women of color, even though women of color make up around 20% of the US population and 39% of the lesbian, bisexual, and queer (LBQ) population. Several compounding forms of discrimination face LGBTQ+ women of color, even outside of the realm of electoral politics. Though the majority of LGBTQ individuals report experiences of homophobic discrimination, racial minorities experience homophobia at higher levels than their white counterparts.
