Intersections highlights NEAT’s work on issues that traditionally have not been seen as LGBTQ+. These issues, while not exclusive to our community, often disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ people. Check out all our issues here.
Intersections highlights NEAT’s work on issues that traditionally have not been seen as LGBTQ+. These issues, while not exclusive to our community, often disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ people. Check out all our issues here.
NEAT Endorses the Raise the Wage Act of 2021
The Raise the Wage Act of 2021 was recently introduced in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. NEAT strongly supports this Act and encourages lawmakers to pass the law.
If enacted, the Raise the Wage Act of 2021 would:
The Advocate published a comprehensive piece in 2019 titled Why Raising the Minimum Wage is a Critical LGBTQ Issue, and here are some important highlights:
This foundational economic issue has implications that touch on other facets of our lives, like healthcare and education. If Congress passes the Raise the Wage Act of 2021 and it is signed by President Biden, there will be an immediate positive impact on our community and the lives of millions.
The Raise the Wage Act of 2021 was recently introduced in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. NEAT strongly supports this Act and encourages lawmakers to pass the law.
If enacted, the Raise the Wage Act of 2021 would:
- Gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025;
- After 2025, adjust the minimum wage each year to keep pace with growth in the median wage—a measure of wages for typical workers; and
- Phase out the egregious subminimum wage for tipped workers, which has been frozen at a meager $2.13 since 1991.
The Advocate published a comprehensive piece in 2019 titled Why Raising the Minimum Wage is a Critical LGBTQ Issue, and here are some important highlights:
- Raising the minimum wage would lift millions above the poverty line and there are a disproportionate number of LGBTQ+ people living in poverty. This is especially true of the transgender community, where a 2015 report estimates 1 in 3 trans individuals live below the poverty line.
- In 2019, Black Future Labs conducted the Black Census, the only contemporary survey of its kind related to the black community. Of the 5,400 respondents who identified as LGB+, over 90% responded that low wages are their biggest life concern.
This foundational economic issue has implications that touch on other facets of our lives, like healthcare and education. If Congress passes the Raise the Wage Act of 2021 and it is signed by President Biden, there will be an immediate positive impact on our community and the lives of millions.