Leaving Houston isn't so simple for LGBTQ residents
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Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
LGBTQ+ Americans aren't just fleeing red states like Texas for blue enclaves. They are also building lives in cheaper, fast-growing metros where jobs, housing and politics collide.
Why it matters: The "red-state exodus" narrative misses a quieter reality.
- Affordability and work are keeping some LGBTQ+ people in — and drawing others to — places that may be politically complicated but economically viable.
What they're saying: For many LGBTQ+ Texans, leaving simply isn't financially or practically possible, Tammi Wallace, president and CEO of the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, tells Axios.
- "That's not even an option for them to pick up, move their lives," Wallace says, noting that leaving also means rebuilding community and support systems.
- Texas has "staying power," Wallace says, pointing to economic opportunity, affordability and sense of community in Houston.
Case in point: LGBTQ+ Americans have lower homeownership rates than non-LGBTQ Americans, according to the Williams Institute.
- And LGBTQ-friendly cities with stronger LGBTQ protections — such as San Francisco and Boston — often come with significantly higher housing costs, creating a tension between safety and affordability.
By the numbers: Homebuyers needed to earn $150,364 annually to afford the median-priced home in states with LGBTQ housing protections as of 2024, per an Axios analysis of real estate company Redfin's data.
- That's 46.8% more income needed than in states like Texas without such protections.
Zoom in: The Houston metro is home to an estimated 169,000 LGBTQ+ adults, which is about 3.5% of its adult population, according to the Williams Institute, based on Gallup survey data.
- 16.7% of the region's homes for sale were affordable for someone earning the local median household income, according to Redfin.
- By contrast, less than 2% of homes for sale were considered affordable in San Diego and Los Angeles, which have larger percentages of adults who identify as LGBTQ.
Caveat: Researchers caution that LGBTQ migration data remains limited because federal surveys have historically failed to consistently collect sexual orientation and gender identity data.
Between the lines: People also choose to stay because they're rooted here.
- "There's a hope that we can make our state a better place to live and work and raise our families," Wallace says.
- Houston's LGBTQ+ community is deeply embedded in the region's economy as business owners, workers, job creators and taxpayers, Wallace says. The chamber, which has nearly 600 members, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.