In Middle Tennessee, “So many of our neighbors in need tell us they are constantly having to make decisions between necessities, like paying for rent or putting food on the table,” says Will Corley, lead volunteer engagement coordinator with Second Harvest Food Bank.
And for folks in LGBTQIA+ communities, this rings even more true. People in the LGBTQIA+ are more likely to face poverty and the impacts of food insecurity than their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts.
“The causes of this increased struggle are complex and nuanced, but people in the community face them every day,” Corley said. “For example, Trans people face increased difficulty securing SNAP and WIC benefits due to their gender status. Also, LGBTQIA+ youth are more likely to move into adulthood without family resources due to discrimination.”
Second Harvest Food Bank hosts a monthly Food For Thought panel with various community groups. For their June session, they invited Nashville Launch Pad and Straight Facts on LGBTQIA+ Life to come during Pride month and discuss gender, identity, and hunger in LGBTQIA+ communities. Nashville Launch Pad is a nonprofit that creates safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ young adults, and Straight Facts about LGBTQIA+ Life is a Vanderbilt University-affiliated group that is focused on educating their communities on social justice ally development, learning how to create Trans-inclusive communities, LGBTQIA+ Life resources on campus and in the world.
Launch Pad’s Corrine Elise, the associate director of engagement and administration, says that 22 percent of the LGBTQIA+ community faces food insecurity versus 16 percent of cisgender, straight people. LGBTQIA+ young adults are also 120 percent more likely to experience homelessness than their straight and cisgender peers.
“Queer individuals face disproportionate rates of discrimination, violence, as well as family and community rejection,” Elise said. “They have to navigate avoiding spaces that are outright hostile, but also they have to be wary of spaces that may say they are open, but are not genuinely affirming. In order to seek shelter or food, they may find themselves in spaces that either overtly or covertly send the message that who they are and who they love is wrong or invalid.”
Nashville Launch Pad’s goal of providing safer, street-free sleeping shelters for unhoused young adults which are open and affirming to LGBTQIA+ individuals and their allies may seem niche, she says, but it meets a critical need.
“It is unfortunately a pervasive thought that people taking advantage of the system are running rampant and they should just learn to pull themselves up by their bootstraps to succeed,” Elisa said. “This thought process is both incorrect and incredibly harmful. Hunger and homelessness are cycles that are hard to escape once you are in them. Not only that, but many of us are just a paycheck or two away from being in the same situation.”
When Second Harvest reached out to partner with Launch Pad, it made sense. The panel seeks to educate and create a community around a common goal of ending hunger in LGBTQIA+ communities.
“As much as direct service is necessary, education surrounding these issues can be just as critical,” Elise said. “If we are more informed we can better understand the systems and power dynamics that lead to homelessness and hunger for our LGBTQ+ young adults.”
And education can be a matter of improving your actions after you learn of the needs in your community. Elisa paraphrased Maya Angelou, saying: “We do the best we can until we know better. And when we know better, we can do better.”
Clearing up misconceptions about what hunger looks like is also key to solving the problem.
“The fact of the matter is that a large portion of people facing food insecurity are working, however, are still not able to make ends meet due to inflation, medical bills, rising rent prices, along with other issues,” Corley said. “Now more than ever, people do not have the necessary safety nets to protect themselves from a missed paycheck or medical issue – especially those in the LGBTQIA+ community.”
In addition to education, changing systems and programs to be more inclusive is vital: People should be able to get food when they need it. Second Harvest chooses partners that do not discriminate in the populations they serve. They recognize that all our neighbors facing food insecurity deserve relief, regardless of their identity.
“Second Harvest’s mission strives to do more than provide food to people facing hunger, we also work to advance hunger solutions,” Corley said. “That means making sure fewer people must make that impossible decision between housing and food.”
Corlew adds that a “great way to start is with an inclusive language and mindset,” but that material changes need to happen to help those struggling in the LGBTQIA+ community, like safe spaces at Nashville Launch Pad.
Launch Pad gives the example of making all restrooms in their shelter spaces gender neutral, not separating their guests by gender, as well as listing their names and pronouns on staff/volunteer name tags as well as honoring the names and pronouns of their guests. It’s all about finding “tangible ways you can make your spaces more affirming.”
Food insecurity is complex as it is, but it cannot be understood fully without direct input from the people closest to the issue.
“Also consider who is around the table making decisions,” Elise said. “Is there diversity of thought? Do you have queer voices weighing in? This will impact the inclusivity of your programing.”
The evening will begin with a Second Harvest facility tour and then a panel discussion followed by space for open discussion. The event is free, but guests are welcome to bring food or monetary donations to offer at check in.
“No one organization can tackle hunger or homelessness or discrimination due to identity alone,” Elise said. “Programs like this are important because they show where we overlap and how we can come together to serve the community well.”