The ultimate goal in our current phase of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic is to vaccinate as many eligible people who can safely be vaccinated. On the one hand, there are people who are vaccine-eligible but simply opting out, which is deeply frustrating on a global scale. On the other hand, some people simply don’t have access or reputable information and resources on the importance of getting the vaccine—and that’s frustrating, but those frustrations should be aimed at people in power, not folks who may be, for example, unhoused.
Just like there are trends about who is not getting vaccinated, there are also encouraging trends about which groups are getting the shot. According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gay and lesbian adults in the United States are more likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19 than heterosexuals, as highlighted by LGBTQ+ outlet them.
The data comes from a survey of over 150,000 adults in the United States and was conducted from late August to early October in 2021 and was done via calling cell phones. That data collection was part of the National Immunization Survey Adult COVID Module.
Just over 83% of gay or lesbian adults report being vaccinated, according to the CDC’s data, as opposed to just over 73% of straight adults. Queer women were less likely than queer men to report being vaccinated. Looking at race specifically, however, reveals important differences—Black gay and lesbian adults were less likely to receive their first dose of the vaccine, with non-Hispanic Black LGBTQ+ people having the lowest coverage. But Black gay men and Black bisexual men were more likely to have had at least one dose of the vaccine than heterosexual Black respondents.
This survey found that bisexual adults are as likely to be vaccinated as straight people. Income matters here, interestingly: Bisexual respondents who live below the poverty line were less likely to get vaccinated when compared to both heterosexual and queer respondents. On the flip side, bisexual respondents who live above the poverty line were more likely to be vaccinated when compared to heterosexual respondents.
Data also found that, when looking at gay and lesbian adults with a household income of $75,000 or more, 94% of respondents said they were either fully or partially vaccinated. When looking at gay and lesbian adults below the poverty line, however, that percentage drops to just under 74%. It’s possible here that people with lower incomes might live in areas with less access to vaccines or have less flexibility in taking off work to get an appointment or travel for one.
Gay and lesbian adults were more confident in the vaccine’s safety and protection than heterosexual adults. Notably, trans and nonbinary adults were more confident in vaccine protection than cisgender adults, but they were not more confident about the vaccine’s safety. When looking at both vaccinated and unvaccinated respondents, gay, lesbian, and bisexual adults reported being more concerned about COVID-19 in general than heterosexual adults.
An important nuance here is to remember that trans people can identify as gay, straight, bisexual, or other, but in this case, the survey didn’t find big differences in vaccination rates between cisgender, nonbinary, and trans adults.
So, what gives? It’s very possible that after living through a (still ongoing) public health crisis (HIV/AIDS), older queer people are taking this pandemic seriously and doing whatever they can to protect themselves. We also know that LGBTQ+ folks are more likely to have a number of comorbidities, so they may see value in getting the vaccine (or even be eligible for the vaccine) sooner than some of their heterosexual peers.
It’s also possible that queer people felt particularly isolated during the pandemic—perhaps being forced to separate from connections and friendships or having to move home with less accepting people—and thus have been more eager to get vaccinated and resume “normal” life.
No matter your sexual orientation or gender identity, if you’re eligible to be vaccinated and it’s safe for you to do so, the CDC really, really wants you to get your shots.
“To prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death, which are more common in unvaccinated persons than in those who have been vaccinated, it is important that all persons in the United States, including those in the LGBT community, stay up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccinations,” the report says in part. Read up on COVID-19, vaccine safety, and truths about public health initiatives and goals, and then—please—go get your vaccine!
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