The Subminimum Wage CrisisIs An LGBTQ Worker Crisis
Pride month is an important time each join for members of the Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community. June 13 in particular
holds a special place this year as LGBTQ Equal Pay Awareness Day — shining
a spotlight on the low wages LGBTQ workers face. With the Human Rights
Campaign reporting that the restaurant and food service industry is the larg-
est employer of LGBTQ people in the country — employing 15 percent of all
LGBTQ workers — one cannot separate LGBTQ economic insecurity and the submini-
mum wage for tipped workers.1