EPS 39 - Life, Death, and LGBTQ+ Resilience: Health, Hate, and the Power of Giving

In this thought-provoking episode of Pink Money, host Jerry Williams dives into the real numbers behind America’s leading causes of death—from smoking and heart disease to suicide and substance abuse—and explores how these realities impact the LGBTQ+ community in unique and devastating ways.

Jerry unpacks health disparities, discrimination, and the ongoing threats of hate-filled rhetoric from those who weaponize religion and politics against queer lives. He reflects on personal stories of coming out, family conversations, and battles for equal rights, connecting past struggles like Colorado’s “special rights” amendment with today’s attacks on trans and queer protections.

The episode also highlights the power we hold to push back—through voting, advocacy, and even thoughtful giving. Jerry explains how to support organizations that fight for equality while making smart, tax-deductible choices with your money.

It’s a powerful reminder that resilience, pride, and financial empowerment are deeply connected—and that every voice and every dollar can make a difference in securing a safer, more equitable future.

💬 Have a question or comment? Contact Jerry here

Transcript

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I'm your host, Jerry Williams, and we talk about all things related to money from a gay perspective. And, you know, recently I was sitting outside of a grocery store and I was just kind of staring at their front door and noticed that they had a sign on it. And the sign said, a federal court has ordered R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and Philip Morris USA to state more people die every year from smoking than from murder, AIDS, suicide, drugs, car crashes, and alcohol combined. So I was like, wow, that's kind of scary. You don't know anything about it. But, you know, I suppose it's true or they probably wouldn't have posted it there. But, you know, the strange thing about it, you know, I started thinking about how many people are we talking about, you know? die from smoking-related causes. And so I just dug a little bit, and it looks like, according to the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking causes over 480,000 deaths annually in the U.S., including deaths from secondhand smoke. So if you look at the other causes of death in the U.S., again, combined deaths from other causes, 140,000 are due to alcohol-related 100,000 from drug overdoses, 50,000 from suicides, 25,000 homicides, 5,000 HIV AIDS, scary, and 40,000 from car crashes. So that adds up to 360,000 deaths combined. And so that's a big difference between 480 and 360. But I believe that the courts back in 2006 said, Found the tobacco companies, I think, guilty of selling a product that was harmful to people, I think chiefly adding nicotine to their product, which was addictive and obviously causes many, many people to die. And so I think they got fined like billions of dollars, and this is obviously one of the outcomes of it. But again, just digging deeper, you know, I started thinking about, you know, what are the other, you know, top causes of death, you know, in the U.S.? And if smoking is one of the top, what are the top then? And according to the CDC, their data from 2022, the number one cause of death is heart disease. Estimated 695,000 people die of that. And then second is cancer, all kinds, 605,000. 218,000 is number three, unintentional injuries. That includes overdoses, falls, car crashes. It's scary that that many people fall and die. So 187,000 from COVID, 162,000 from stroke. Number six, chronic lower respiratory diseases like COPD, 143,000. 120,000 people die from Alzheimer's. 103,000 diabetes. 56,000 from chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. 53,000 kidney disease. Suicide is number 12, 49,000. Hypertension, high blood pressure is number 14, 38,000. Homicide, 26,000. I always thought a lot more people died from that. but I'm kind of glad to see that it's lower down on the list and HIV AIDS is 5,000 that's still a lot of people but that's number 18 anyway so there are different causes of death however like we all know right based on your age and your Race, those are big factors. But by age group, children from 1 to 14, their number one cause is unintentional injuries, car crashes, drowning, frightening again. Number two, cancer. Number three, congenital anomalies, birth defects. Number four is homicide. Truly scary. And number five, heart disease. Ages 15 to 24, youth, young adults. Number one is unintentional injuries, mainly drug overdoses and car crashes. I know I was a terrible driver at 16, so I'm probably lucky to be alive. Number two is suicide. Number three, homicide. Number four, cancer. Number five, heart disease. That number three, homicide, is just unbelievable to me. Ages 25 to 44, number one, unintentional injuries, especially overdoses. doses number two suicide three homicide four heart disease five cancer if you're a middle-aged adult 45 to 64 of which I am at least for a couple more years number one it's cancer number two heart disease number three unintentional injuries number four liver disease number five diabetes age 65 plus you're an older adult glad they're not saying senior anymore I hate that word Number one, heart disease. Two, cancer. Number three, COVID-19 in recent years anyway. Number four, stroke. Number five, Alzheimer's. Let's see. Well, moving on to race and ethnicity. For non-Hispanic whites, number one is heart disease, two, cancer, three, unintentional injury, four, COVID. Five is chronic lower respiratory diseases. If you're black, non-Hispanic, heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, kidney, rounds out that top five. If you're Hispanic, Latino, cancer, heart disease, COVID-19, diabetes, and stroke. And Native American, Alaskan, heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, diabetes, chronic liver disease. If you're Asian American, Pacific Islander, if you fall into that group, cancer, heart disease. Number three, stroke, four, diabetes, five, Alzheimer's. If you're a man, number one cause of death is heart disease. Number two is cancer. Three is unintentional injuries. Four is COVID-19. And number five is chronic lower respiratory diseases. They also have a higher rate of suicide, liver disease, and overdoses. deaths. If you're a woman, number one is heart disease, two, cancer, three, COVID-19, number four, stroke, and number five is Alzheimer's. They're also more likely to die from Alzheimer's and are less likely to die from suicide or homicide than men. Strangely, I always thought that more women were killed, unfortunately, than men. Because men are, you know, there's so much violence against women. But when you scroll even further down and look More closely, the top causes of death among and health disparities. Top causes of death and health disparities among LGBTQ plus people in the U.S. Number one is suicide. It's a top cause of death among LGBTQ youth, especially transgender and non-binary. The LGBTQ youth are four to six times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight cisgender peers. Suicide risk is strongly linked to family rejection, discrimination, bullying, and lack of affirming care. Number two, AIDS, it's still a major health issue, particularly among gay and bisexual men, especially black and Latino men. Transgender women, particularly women of color, are also at significantly higher risk. While treatment has improved survival, late diagnosis, and healthcare access barriers, they still contribute to deaths. Number three, substance use and overdoses. LGBTQ people, especially youth and transgender individuals, have higher rates of substance abuse. Also, alcohol use disorders, methamphetamine among gay and bisexual men, opioid overdose is often tied to self-medication for mental health and trauma, and of course, discrimination and trauma that increases vulnerability among probably all populations, but cancer. Lesbian, bisexual women, trans men may be less likely to get screenings like pap tests, mammograms. That raises the risk for late-stage diagnosis. HIV-positive individuals, they face risk of certain cancers, including carposi, sarcoma, and anal cancer. Number five, cardiovascular disease. It's elevated in LGBTQ populations due to higher rates use of tobacco use, especially in lesbian women and trans. Chronic stress from discrimination. That's a theory about minority stress. Barriers to regular health care. Number six is violence and homicide. Transgender women of color in particular face disproportionately higher rates of fatal violence. LGBTQ people are... overrepresented in hate crimes. They're more apt to experience a hate crime. COVID-19, especially in more recent years, LGBTQ people, especially older adults or those living with HIV face worse outcomes due to the existing health disparities. And chronic mental health issues is certainly an ongoing issue. But if you're a young LGBTQ person, the number one cause of death for you, unfortunately, if your age is 13 to 24, is going to be suicide. Number two is suicide, use and overdose. Number three, HIV, AIDS for young bisexual gay men. And homelessness and violence. LGBTQ youth make up to 40% of homeless youths. and they have an increased risk of death, overdose, and exposure to violence. For transgender individuals, all ages, major health risks and threats are homicide, suicide, barriers to care, HIV risk, you're an LGBTQ adult, 25, 64, key disparities, say cancer, heart disease, substance use, mental health, if you're a senior, 65 plus, there's that word, social isolation, HIV, AIDS, care and discrimination. And those are just some of the top things that affect our community. And so the point I'm trying to make is although, you know, smoking related causes of death and Some of these other factors, like unintentional injuries, stroke, et cetera, obviously they affect all people, but they're not necessarily the top reasons that they affect people in the LGBTQ plus community because we experience different things. And like this research is showing that gay people, and I'm just using that term broadly, queer, you know, whatever group you want to put yourself in or not put yourself in, for that matter. You know, there's just certain things that cause us undue stress and can kill us. And one of the things that I was thinking about is I watch a lot of YouTube, and it's about the extent of my attention span these days, but, you know, I... You can go down a million rabbit holes. But one of the things that I came across was a couple of different preachers. And I use that term very loosely when I'm talking about these guys because I always believe that a preacher is someone who's going to be helpful, instructful, going to lead you to a path of enlightenment and a better way of living. And they don't do that. They really are preaching the opposite of that. It's more hate and, you know, if you want to call it, fire and brimstone kind of preaching. But, you know, they have a receptive audience, which is super scary. You know, this one guy in Tennessee, he was trying to meet, have his group meet at a Cracker Barrel. And as soon as he started his... hate-filled speech, they kicked him out. So good for Cracker Barrel. And this is back in 2019. But still, it's still relevant. Because one of the things he was saying, and he was quoted as saying that, you know, the God... This is what he said. God has instilled the power of civil government to send the police in 2019 out to the LGBTQ freaks and arrest them and have a trial for them. And if they're convicted, then they are to be put to death. So how scary would it be to hear somebody, a preacher who you were going to sit and listen to for enlightenment, tell you, yeah, anybody who is gay is basically, you know, they should be killed. And that is a horrible thing to say to anybody. And if you're feeling isolated already and you're hearing that, you're going to be really scared. And you're probably not going to want to associate with anybody or certainly come out. I remember back in the, you know, early... I graduated from high school, what, in 81? And, you know... Marching down the street in a gay pride parade back then was really scary because, A, there wasn't a lot of people, and you didn't know what was going to happen to you, right? You didn't know if you were going to get beat up, arrested, or, you know, if something really tragic was going to happen. Still even today, right? We don't know. Anything can– crazy can do something and harm people, and I hope they don't get away with it. So it's– You see more people out in pride parades, and there's a lot, lot more of them than there were. And those are all positive things. But you still, again, have to be really careful. And there's other people like this other preacher, if you will. His name is Greg Locke. And he's, again, a super crazy nut. And he believes, you know, that the Bible is... Not that it's the bad thing, but he interprets it in a very negative way and uses it to bludgeon gay people. And he believes, you know, that they should, again, have no rights and should be not only put to death, but, you know, they should have no rights. And that is just crazy to me because... You know, as the saying goes, right, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. And even in the Bible, you know, there's a passage about, you know, he who is without sin casts the first stone. And he himself does not lead such a righteous life. I believe he left his family for his mistress who is his secretary. You know, so... Where's that, you know, in the Bible, that you're leading this duplicitous life and yet you're espousing all this hate against, you know, gay people? Are you just deflecting, you know, because your own life is a mess, you know, that you grew up in a hateful environment? I don't know how he grew up, you know, but still, where do people get this stuff from, right? And do you have your own, you know, homosexual tendencies and you hate yourself for it? Who knows? But the point is that people like that shouldn't be able to get away with this Their behavior should be brought to light and it should be exposed. And if they're in a position of power like this guy meeting at the Cracker Barrel, he was also the sheriff. He was the sheriff. And that kind of person definitely does not need to have the ability to arrest people and kill them because he carries a weapon. And he needs to be drummed out of office. Thankfully, this guy took an early retirement, I believe. But Those kind of people, we need to make sure that they are not given any position of power and their hateful rhetoric is exposed and their behavior is brought to light because people don't need to be listening to stuff like that. You know, it kind of reminds me a way of what happened back in, I believe it was 1992. And I came out in right after... during the end of my high school year is when I really started to embrace who I am and what I was doing. I was actually dating some girl and, you know, everything just started coming together for me and I just didn't want to do what I was doing anymore. And I remember my grandmother was the first person who asked me. We were sitting out on the porch and I was reading the newspaper, which, you know, they don't even deliver newspapers anymore, I think. I don't know. But anyway, she turns to me and she says, you know, are you gay? And I'm like, oh, well, and I didn't want to lie to her. We had a really close relationship, and I'd never lied to her. So I felt a little put on the spot, of course, and it took me back. But I said, well, yeah. And she's like, oh, okay, I thought so. That was it. That's all she said. I was so, so stunned. I just couldn't even– my mind couldn't accept what just had happened. Although, you know, it wasn't hurtful, but it was just strange all the way around. It was the first time an outsider, I guess, or someone who, you know, just– Someone who figured out my tea, if you will. And just came right out and said it. And me too. It was the first time I had come out to anybody. And so it was really, really strange and odd. I did turn to her and I said, hey, just kind of keep that to yourself, okay? You know, I haven't told mom or my sisters. And, you know, I'm not sure when the right time is. She's like, oh, okay. And she didn't. Of course, she told everybody. And... I guess she did me the favor of telling everybody so I didn't have to do it myself. But it wasn't the way that I wanted to do it. And ultimately, I had to have that conversation with my mom because I wanted her to hear it from me directly. And that's a whole other story in and of itself. But anyway, the point I'm bringing up is that she then had... the latitude and felt comfortable to address certain topics with me and ask me questions. So back in 1992, there was a law that eventually passed in Colorado, which was unfortunate. But during the time that it was before it passed, it was being debated, and it was trying to strip protective rights from gay people. And it was saying that certain communities like Denver, Boulder, et cetera, that had anti-discrimination laws against gay people on their books, it was going to repeal them. Because what they were saying is that these were quote unquote special rights that gay people had and that they should not be given any special rights more than what everybody else has. And that term special rights really took root and it really spread like wildfire and people believed it. And my grandmother came up to me one time and she said, You know, what is this thing about Amendment 2? She was playing cards with her cousins, and one of her cousins was actually my mother's godmother. But anyway, she says, she said, you know, one of her cousins said, special rights. You know, they shouldn't be given special rights. And so my grandmother, you know, she didn't know all that much about it, and she was like, well, what special rights are there? I said, there are none. There are none. Gay people don't have special rights. What they're trying to do is get the right to not be discriminated against by, you know, being denied housing, being fired from your job, you know, being ostracized because of who you are, how you are, and who you love. And I said those are just basic things that, you know, straight people don't have to worry about that. But, you know, we gay people, we definitely do because there's– that ability for people to do that, and that's really not fair. And all we're saying is that there are protections that we need, and there are laws that need to be placed on the books to give gay people, and again, using that term broadly, the right to not be discriminated against. So she felt comfortable enough to take that back to her cousins. And who knows what really happened in that conversation. But, hey, I give her credit for at least standing up to them because they sometimes kind of bullied her. And it was good for her to be able to go back to them with a little bit more ammunition and say, you know, they don't get special rights. Ultimately, what happened was the law went on the books, but I think it went all the way up to the Supreme Court that it was then repealed. So that was great. But, you know, again, tying this back into things today the important thing is that we support laws and people who support us and we definitely need that kind of protection today I mean look at what's happening to trans people right you know they can get booted out from the military or denied the ability to serve and it can go on and on and on and is going on and on and on so many laws have gone past I can't even keep track of what's going on anymore And they even want to appeal the right to marry. And who knows what will happen with that. If they appeal the right to have an abortion, it's not a far stretch to think that they could repeal gay marriage. So the thing that is important is is that you give your support and your voice to people who, again, in organizations that will fight for your rights. And it only is going to make it better for us because the more protected we feel, the more comfortable we will be in our own skin, and the more that we will feel that we are just the same as everyone else, which we are, right? And we want to just simply be given the right to live and... just like straight people or anybody, we should be able to just go on and live our life and not be fearful. So when you're thinking about your money and what does that mean, You can give, right? Obviously, you can give small amounts of money, large amounts of money. You can give to anybody you want, right? It's your money. You can do whatever you want. But if you're really thoughtful in your giving, you want to make sure that you give to 501c3 nonprofit organizations because, number one, they've gained this status from the IRS. And because they fit into this nonprofit status, then you can take a tax deduction of up to 50% of your adjusted gross income on a charitable deduction. Now, that doesn't happen for every charity, so you have to be careful about who you're giving to. Sometimes even the deductions can be capped at 20% or 30%, and that depends on the organization and the nature of your gift. But you can go down that path with your tax preparer. Just seek some competent tax advice who can help you. Especially, you know, if you're giving small amounts of money, you know, again, you know, three, five, ten, whatever, you know, then that's probably not as a big a deal. If you're deciding to give five, ten, you know, more big money, then you really want to be careful about, again, who you're giving to and how you're giving to. Because you can give money to foundations, but not all foundations qualify like a non-profit. So, again, a lot of different people do a lot of different things. A lot of organizations do a lot of different things. And we definitely want to support them. At a minimum, you have the right to vote. Get out there and vote for the right people and vote out the wrong people. We definitely want to do that And that's free. But if you want to take it a step further and donate some money to a particular cause, that's how you want to be cautious, thoughtful, mindful about who you're giving to because ultimately you want your rights protected and you want to live your life as you want to live. So I won't go on and on about that anymore. I think you get the point. But Hey, happy Pride, everybody, and get out there, do your thing, enjoy your life, and I will talk to you next time.