US Census And Surveys Underrepresents The Real Number Of LGBTQ+ In Texas

There could be more LGBTQ+ people in Texas than the census or surveys report. According to a new study by The Texas Tribune, the census and surveys undercount the size of LGBTQ+ population and this may lead to mental health problems.

When people are asked about their sexuality, maybe they are afraid of disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity to the government or even their neighbors.

Undercounting LGBTQ+ population could result in mental health problems, as health care providers lack of information and governments don’t know where to allocate resources.

Also, there are problems of how the census addresses whether a person belongs to the LGBTQ+ community or not. The survey only asks whether the person lives in same sex households and does not address if gay or lesbian people live in other arrangements. Also, the survey doesn’t ask directly about sexual orientation or gender or sexual identity directly.

LGBTQ+ people face different health problems and different challenges. They have higher rates of trauma, cancer, HIV and AIDS, and have more trouble finding a health provider. It is crucial for health care providers to know the information about sexual orientation and gender identity of a patient to provide a good service and to avoid health disparities.

It is of high importance that census and surveys represent the LBTQ+ community in Texas with accuracy, so health care providers can provide a better service to them.