LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day Highlights Pay Equity Still Out of Reach for Many Workers

(SACRAMENTO, CA) –June 17 marks LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day and the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CCSWG) joins partners across the nation in calling attention to persistent wage inequities among LGBTQIA+ workers.

In the U.S., income disparity among LGBTQIA+ communities highlights an economic divide. Recent research shows that LGBTQIA+ households earn on average about 85% of the income of non-LGBTQIA+ households. A Human Rights Campaign Foundation report found:

• Transgender women earn about 60 cents for every dollar compared to the typical U.S. worker.
• Non-binary, Two-Spirit, and genderqueer workers earn roughly 70 cents on the dollar.
• Transgender men earn approximately 70 cents on the dollar.
• LGBTQIA+ women earn about 87 cents for every dollar earned by the average worker.
• LGBTQIA+ workers of color face compounded wage disparities, with Black LGBTQIA+ workers earning around 80 cents and Latine LGBTQIA workers earning about 90 cents for every dollar earned by the typical worker.

“Unequal pay creates real barriers to economic security for LGBTQIA+ workers, impacting housing stability, food access, health care, childcare affordability, and long‑term financial well‑being,” said California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls Executive Director Darcy Totten. “Pay equity isn’t just a workplace issue; it compounds the challenges LGBTQIA+ community members already face. When workers are paid less for the same work, it pushes people further into the shadows and deeper into poverty. Closing these gaps is essential.”

California Leading Change

In 2025, CCSWG co-sponsored SB 642 (Limón), the Pay Equity Enforcement Act, which includes directives to decrease wage disparities among LGBTQIA+. The bill, authored by then Commissioner, Senate President pro Tem Limón, was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom

Key changes include:

• Expands the definition of “another sex” to encompass all gender identities and expressions.
• Increases employer compliance requirements to better identify and address pay disparities.

While California leads the nation in strong equal pay policies, structural barriers continue to limit progress for LGBTQIA+ workers. Federal rollbacks in LGBTQIA+ workplace protections underscore the heightened importance of state leadership.

Call to Action

A repository of state‑level pay data focused on women across intersecting demographic groups, including LGBTQIA+ communities and other historically marginalized populations is needed.

A major challenge in advancing pay equity for LGBTQIA+ workers is the profound lack of consistent, comprehensive data. Most wage‑gap statistics for LGBTQIA+ communities rely on limited national surveys or small‑sample studies, making it difficult to fully understand the scope of inequities. Even the data that does exist shows that pay disparities are far from uniform. These differences make clear that the LGBTQIA+ community is not a monolith; experiences of discrimination and economic insecurity vary widely across gender identity, race, and ethnicity. Without reliable, disaggregated data, the most marginalized workers remain the most invisible, preventing policymakers and advocates from designing targeted solutions that address the layered inequities LGBTQIA+ people face.

The California Equal Pay Pledge is an initiative led by the Office of the First Partner and the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, in partnership with the California Partners Project, to help close the pay gap in California. Policies that ensure equal pay for all workers can help businesses attract and retain the strongest talent and boost productivity. Join California companies who have already signed on to a more equitable future and an economy that works for everyone.

• Sign the Equal Pay Pledge

About LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day

LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day highlights the ongoing wage disparities affecting LGBTQIA+ workers. Achieving pay equity is essential for ensuring justice and economic security for LGBTQIA+ individuals and their families. Through awareness, advocacy, and systemic change, we can work towards a future where equal pay is a reality for all.

###

For 60 years, the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls has identified and worked to eliminate inequities in state laws, practices, and conditions that affect California’s women and girls. Established as a state agency with 17 appointed commissioners in 1965, the Commission regularly assesses gender equity in health, safety, employment, education, and equal representation in the military and the media. The Commission provides leadership through research, policy and program development, education, outreach and collaboration, advocacy, and strategic partnerships. women.ca.gov.