Reaching Underserved Populations

For decades, studies have emphasized how deeply embedded discrimination, produced across generations, has critically impacted the quality of life and self-advancement of communities of color. For LGBTQ people of color, these conditions are exacerbated by attitudes and structures that treat people differently based on their sexualities and their gender identities and expressions. As evidence, a growing body of research continues to demonstrate this "heightened vulnerability" among LGBTQ people of color—to health risks, verbal and physical violence, and institutional discrimination, among other areas. LGBTQ people of color also face the disregard of institutions; relatively unexplored as research topics and rarely considered as constituencies affected by public policies or in need of culturally and linguistically sensitive services. And this invisibility reverberates across the public and private sectors, where LGBTQ people of color are marginalized as leaders in key decision-making bodies. It compounds the problem when you consider that communities of color—as mapped by social scientists—often reside in neighborhoods with few resources, limited opportunity and, in many areas, environmental risks. Where, then, can foundations invest in these underserved populations and reverse these conditions?

	Featured Tools A visceral metaphor of structural inequality Philosopher Marilyn Frye proposes that broadening one’s lens to view the multiple bars of a birdcage can provide a more informed perspective—policies, practices, values and cultural representations work together over time to entrap communities. Watch a slideshow Case study: Racial inequities among LGBTQ youth of color How can funders understand the various aspects of “structural racism” on LGBTQ communities? What are the steps? Read an illustrative case study

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		Frameworks Glossary Population Snapshots Inequality Slideshow Case Study & 10 Steps Transgender Lens Assessment Diagrams Nonprofit Directory

"American Indians, no matter what their sexual orientation, have lower life expectancy that the U.S. as a whole, have mortality rates from alcoholism that are 510% higher than the U.S. population as a whole, suicide rates 62% higher, tuberculosis 600% higher, and very high Diabetes II rates."

"We still see far too many mainstream media reports that paint people of color, African Americans in particular, as monolithically homophobic—which ends up feeding a cycle of anger, frustration and distrust on all sides."

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Out for Change: Racial and Economic Justice Issues in LGBT Communities

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