Food scarcity in the Portland Queer Community


Pride Oregon Food Bank

              Food scarcity in the Portland Queer Community

                                                                    by Emma Reinhart



LGBTQ adults are 160% more likely to not have enough food as compared to non LGBTQ adults. Queer seniors are 60% more likely to suffer from food scarcity compared to their cis-straight counterparts.It’s not just that though, food scarcity among queer adults is almost double the national rate. 27% of LGBTQ adults experienced a time in the last year of not having enough money for food that they or their families needed, and LGBTQ people of color are twice as likely to experience higher rates of hunger. 

With rampant discrimination in housing and the workplace for queer people, it only tracks that they would also experience a higher level of food insecurity. If they can’t find a job, they won’t have money to buy food. Not only that, but without a steady source of food, chronic issues like depression and HIV are exacerbated. 



Oregon Food Bank is taking a stand against food insecurity for queer people by partnering up with local agencies to provide safe spaces for LGBTQ people to get food. They created a list of LGBTQ Affirming Agencies serving Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties. These agencies are committed to creating a space for LGBTQ community members. This includes speaking out and standing up for a person or a group that is targeted or discriminated against based on sexual orientation, and/or gender identity and/or gender expression.



Comments