Florida is home to over 663,000 LGBT adults and 100,100 LGBT youth. LGBT people in Florida lack important legal protections and face a less supportive social climate than LGBT people in many other states. For example, statewide laws in Florida offer no protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in areas such as employment, housing, and public accommodations. State laws in Florida also fail to adequately protect LGBT students from bullying. In terms of social climate, Florida ranks 25th in the nation on public support for LGBT rights and acceptance of LGBT people. However, a growing number of businesses and localities in Florida have adopted LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination policies, and social attitudes toward LGBT people are becoming more positive over time.
The legal landscape and social climate for LGBT people in Florida likely contributes to an environment in which LGBT people experience stigma and discrimination. Stigma and discrimination can take many forms, including discrimination and harassment in employment and other settings; bullying and family rejection of LGBT youth; overrepresentation in the criminal justice system; and violence. Research has linked stigma and discrimination againstLGBT people to negative effects on individuals, businesses, and the economy.
In this study, we provide data and research documenting the prevalence of several forms of stigma and discrimination against LGBT adults and youth in Florida, including discrimination and harassment in employment, housing, and public accommodations; bullying and harassment in schools; and family rejection of LGBT youth. We discuss the implications of such stigma and discrimination on LGBT individuals, in terms of health and economic security; on employers, in terms of employee productivity, recruitment, and retention; and on the economy, in terms of health care costs and reduced productivity.
To the extent that Florida is able to move toward creating a more supportive environment for LGBT people, it would likely reduce economic instability and health disparities experienced by LGBT individuals, which, in turn, would benefit the state, employers, and the economy.
Prevalence of Stigma and Discrimination against LGBT People in Florida
LGBT People in Florida Experience Discrimination in Employment, Housing, and Public Accommodations
- A 2017 survey of faculty and staff at the University of West Florida found that 18.6% of LGBQ employees reported one or more experiences of derogatory treatment based on sexual orientation on campus in the prior year. Incidents of derogatory treatment included a range of experiences, such as insensitive or demeaning verbal or written comments (16.3%), unfair treatment (7.0%), exclusion (2.3%), and harassment/bullying (4.7%). A prior survey of faculty and staff at the University of West Florida conducted in 2013 found that 45.5% of LGBQ faculty and staff reported one or more experiences of derogatory treatment on the basis of sexual orientation in the prior year: 45.5% reported insensitive or demeaning verbal or written comments, 13.6% reported unfair treatment, and 9.1% reported exclusion.
- In response to a 2016 survey of over 200 LGBT people in Jacksonville, Florida, 57.4%said they had experienced some form of discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity within the five years prior to the survey. More specifically, 28% of respondents reported experiencing employment discrimination and 7% reported experiencing housing discrimination within the five years prior to the survey. In addition, many LGBT respondents reported experiencing discrimination in public accommodations within the five years prior to the survey: 23% of respondents said they had experienced discrimination at a restaurant, club, or bar, 11% said they had experienced discrimination by their physician’s office, and 9% said they had experienced discrimination in adoption services within the five years prior to the survey.
- The 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey report found that 81% of the transgender respondents from Florida reported experiencing harassment or mistreatment on the job, 36% lost a job, 46% were not hired, and 29% were denied a promotion because of their gender identity or expression. In addition, 14% of respondents from Florida reported that they had been denied a home or apartment and nearly half (47%) said they had been discriminated against or harassed at a place of public accommodation.
- A 2010 survey of faculty, staff, and students at the University of North Florida found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of LGBQ faculty and staff had experienced at least one incident of bias or harassment because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Analysis of public opinion data collected from 2011 through 2013 indicates that 80% of Florida residents, non-LGBT and LGBT, thought that LGBT people experience discrimination in the state. Another public opinion poll conducted in 2016 found that 57% of Florida residents thought that gay and lesbian people experience “a lot” of discrimination in the U.S. and 58% of Florida residents thought that transgender people experience “a lot” of discrimination in the U.S.
- Discrimination against LGBT people in Florida has also been documented in a number of court cases, administrative complaints, and the media. Instances of employment discrimination documented in these sources involve private and public sector workers in a range of occupations, including, for example, polices officers, health care workers, and educational professionals. Examples of discrimination in housing and public accommodations have also been documented in these sources.
LGBT Youth and Young Adults in Florida Experience Bullying and Harassment at School
- A 2017 survey of students at the University of West Florida found that 28.2% of LGBQ students reported one or more experiences of derogatory treatment on the basis of sexual orientation in the prior year. Incidents of derogatory treatment included a range of experiences, such as insensitive or demeaning verbal or written comments (27.6%), unfair treatment (9.4%), exclusion (5.5%), harassment/bullying (10.5%), and threats of violence (2.2%). A prior survey of students at the University of West Florida conducted in 2013 found that 38.8% of LGBQ students reported one or more experiences of derogatory treatment on the basis of sexual orientation in the prior year: 32.7% reported demeaning verbal or written comments, 7.8% reported unfair treatment, 12.1% reported exclusion, 12.1% reported harassment/bullying, and 2.6% reported threats of violence
- The 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey in Florida found that LGB students were more likely to report being bullied at school (33.0% v. 12.7%) and electronically bullied (25.5% v. 9.6%) in the 12 months prior to the survey than non-LGB students.
- In addition, LGB students in Florida were more likely than non-LGB students to report missing school because they felt unsafe at least once in the month prior to the survey (15.8% v. 6.6%).
- The 2015 GLSEN National School Climate survey of LGBTQ middle- and high-school students found that 73% of respondents from Florida said they had experienced verbal harassment based on their sexual orientation at school, and 56% said they had experienced verbal harassment based on their gender expression at school in the year prior to the survey. Many students also reported experiencing physical harassment based on their sexual orientation (28%) or gender identity (22%) at school in the year prior to the survey.
- The 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey report found that 78% of survey respondents from Florida who were perceived to be transgender while in grades K-12 experienced verbal harassment, 41% experienced physical assault, and 10% experienced sexual violence while in school.
- A 2010 survey of the campus climate for LGBQ faculty, staff, and students at the University of North Florida found that nearly half (49%) of LGBQ students had experienced at least one incident of bias or harassment because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. A similar percentage of LGBQ students (54%) reported that they observed incidents of bias and harassment experienced by LGBQ people.
Impact of Stigma and Discrimination on LGBT Individuals
LGBT People in Florida Experience Economic Instability
- Stigma and discrimination against LGBT workers can lead to economic instability, including lower wages and higher rates of poverty.
- Gallup polling data from 2012-2014 indicate that 28% percent of LGBT adults in Florida reported that they did not have enough money for food compared to 19% of non-LGBT adults in the state. Similar proportions of LGBT and non-LGBT people reported that they did not have enough money to meet their health care needs.
- The 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey found that 9% of respondents in Florida were unemployed, and 12% had an annual household income of $10,000 or less.
LGBT Adults and Youth in Florida Experience Health Disparities
- Research indicates that stigma and discrimination contribute to adverse health outcomes for LGBT people such as major depressive disorder, binge drinking, substance use, and suicidality. Similarly, bullying and family rejection, as well as social stigma more broadly, have been linked to increased likelihood of school dropout, suicide, and substance use among LGBT youth.
- LGBT adults in Florida who completed the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey were significantly more likely to have been diagnosed with a depressive disorder by a health care professional than non-LGB adults who completed the survey (32.6% v. 16.8%). In addition, LGBT adults were significantly more likely to report binge drinking (26.5% v. 11.8%) and current smoking (34.3% v. 15.1%) than non-LGBT adults.
- The 2015 Florida Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that LGB students were much more likely to have seriously considered suicide in the year prior to the survey compared to non-LGB students (40.5% v. 10.7%). LGB students in Florida were also more likely than non-LGB students to report smoking cigarettes (22.2% v. 8.1%), drinking (46.6% v. 31.9%), and using marijuana (56.9% v. 34.4%) in the month prior to the survey.
- Similarly, a 2008 survey of college students at the University of West Florida found that rates of self-reported depression, anxiety, and binge drinking were higher for LGBTQ students (20.0%, 38.2%, and 7.3% respectively) than non-LGBTQ students (13.8%, 21.7%, and 3.3% respectively). Suicidal ideation was 2.3 times more likely to be reported in the previous year by LGBTQ students (20.0%) than non-LGBTQ students (8.5%) and suicide attempts were more than nine times more likely to be reported by LGBTQ students (5.6%) than non-LGBTQ students (0.6%).
Economic Impacts of Stigma and Discrimination
Discrimination against LGBT People in Employment and Other Settings Has Economic Consequences for Employers and the State Government
- Productivity. Unsupportive work environments can mean that LGBT employees are less likely to be open about their sexual orientation or gender identity at work, and more likely to be distracted, disengaged, or absent, and to be less productive. These outcomes could lead to economic losses for state and local governments, as employers, and private businesses in the state. Given that over 400,000 workers in Florida identify as LGBT, the loss in productivity from a discriminatory environment could be significant.
- Retention. LGBT employees in less supportive work environments feel less loyal to their employers and are more likely to plan to leave their jobs. Given the average replacement costs of an employee, public and private employers risk losing $8,810, on average, for each employee who leaves the state or changes jobs because of an unsupportive policy or social environment in Florida.
- Recruitment.Many LGBT and non-LGBT workers, in particular those who are younger and more highly educated, prefer to work for companies with more LGBT-supportive policies, and in states with more supportive laws. To the extent that workers from other states perceive Florida to be unsupportive of LGBT people, it may be difficult for public and private employers in the state to recruit talented employees from other places.
Bullying and Family Rejection of LGBT Youth Negatively Impact the Economy
- Bullying and family rejection of LGBT youth can cause them to miss or drop out of school, become homeless, or be unemployed or underemployed.
- In response to the 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey, of those respondents from Florida who said they had been harassed in school, 14% reported that the harassment was so severe that they had to drop out.
- School drop-out and homelessness that arise due to bullying and family rejection are harmful not only to individual LGBT youth but also have societal consequences in that they reduce the capacity of these youth to contribute to the economy as adults.
- In addition, school-based harassment and family rejection can increase costs to the state via Medicaid expenditures, incarceration, and lost wages. The Jim Casey Foundation has estimated that homelessness, juvenile justice involvement, and poor educational and employment outcomes cost nearly $8 billion per cohort that ages out of foster care each year in the U.S. The best available data suggest that LGBT youth make up one-fifth, if not more, of each annual aging out cohort.
Health Disparities for LGBT People Negatively Impact the Economy
- A more supportive legal landscape and social climate for LGBT people in Florida is likely to reduce health disparities between LGBT and non-LGBT people, which would increase worker productivity and reduce health care costs.
- We estimate that reducing the disparity in major depressive disorder between LGBT and non-LGBT people in Florida by 25% to 33.3% could benefit the state’s economy by
$248.8 million to $330.9 million, reducing the disparity in current smoking by the same proportion could benefit the state’s economy by $224.9 million to $299.8 million, and reducing the disparity in binge drinking by the same proportion could benefit the state’s economy by $135.7 million to $180.6 million in increased productivity and reduced health care costs each year. To the extent that a more supportive legal landscape and social climate would reduce other health disparities, the state’s economy would benefit even more.