As the Trump administration plans to advance new policies curtailing student debt relief, it’s no secret that marginalized communities will bear the brunt of the squeeze, particularly lower income individuals. Now a new study demonstrates how any student loan policy will also have significant repercussions for LGBTQ+ borrowers.
Student debt relief was a key policy area advanced by former President Biden, and like all progress tied to the previous administration, it is now in the crosshairs.
Biden introduced the Income Driven Repayment (IDR) and Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plans, both of which lowered payments for low income borrowers. He also improved the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF), which forgives loans for public service workers after 10 years. He also supported relief to disabled borrowers and those defrauded by their institutions.
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Now the Trump administration, along with Republicans in Congress, has been broadly critical of student debt relief. But Trump’s animus is more than empty rhetoric. Recently, he signed an executive order narrowly restricting who can qualify for PSLF, and IDR applications have been removed from federal websites. A federal judge, meanwhile, has blocked Biden’s SAVE plan.
According to a new report from the Williams Institute, these changes (and others hinted at in Project 2025, like ending IDR) will have massive repercussions for the LGBTQ+ community.
Since 2021, 2.9 million LGBTQ+ adults aged 18 to 40 have held student loans, which amounts to over a third (35%) of the queer community. Broken down, that’s 51% of transgender people, 36% of cisgender LBQ women, and 28% of GBQ men. Additionally, 37% of white and 33% Black LGBTQ+ people have student loans.
These numbers are disproportionate to the broader US population, as LGBTQ+ people are more likely to have student debt than non-LGBTQ+ people (35% compared to 23%).
These collective borrowings amount to over $93 billion in student debt. Over half (52%) of all LGBTQ+ student loan borrowers owe between $10,000 to under $50,000. 32% owe less than $10,000 and 16% owe more than $50,000.
“[Trump’s student loan policies] will disproportionately impact LGBTQ adults, who are more likely to have student loan debt than non-LGBTQ adults,” the report concludes.
“In particular, curtailing student loan debt relief would disproportionately impact transgender adults, LBQ cisgender women, LGBTQ people of color, LGBTQ people with disabilities, and LGBTQ people who work in the nonprofit sector.”
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