Lesbians and Poverty: The Truth is still hiding in the Closet

All Gays and Lesbians Aren't Living the High Life that People Expect

Although most people think that gays and lesbians live the lavish life of luxury, that is just not true.  Such shows like the L-Word are really misleading.  We're all not living like Ellen Degeneres and Wanda Sykes.  As a matter of fact, many lesbians, especially stud lesbians live in poverty. 

The U.S. Census and the Department of Health and Human states that 20 million women live in poverty in the United States.  It is unclear how many of these women are lesbians, but experts believe the number is higher than we would like to believe.  One of the reasons lesbians have a hard time is due to homophobia.  Especially with aggressive, butch, and stud lesbians.  As lesbian activist and author of the book Stone Butch Blues, Jeanne Cordova stated, 'butch lesbians have more difficulty finding jobs because of their looks. 

Another challenge that leads women into poverty, is that most women find themselves in low paying jobs, like social worker, teaching, or waiting tables.  But this doesn't necessarily change for those with degrees either, because women actually earn 77% of what men earn. 

So what does all of this mean?  That lesbians are going to have to develop a serious financial plan that should include working for ourselves if we want to afford some of the nicer things in life.  But just in case owning your own spa, dog grooming biz, or wedding singing isn't for you, we must start taking control of our financial future as soon as possible.  This is something we must emphasize to our friends in person, and also as a community.