As of July 2009, 162,400 were unemployed in San Diego County (10.3 percent), according to the State of California Employment Development Department, Labor Market Information Division. If the Williams Institute’s finding that 4.9 percent (102,016) of the San Diego Metropolitan population is GLB is correct, that means almost 8,000 GLB San Diegans are unemployed.

Becoming unemployed is full of challenges and struggles. Psychologists say the experience is similar to losing a loved one and can include depression, anxiety and hopelessness. Sociologists point out that when people become unemployed they often lose their ties to professional networks and sources of support at a time when they most need them. Unemployment has also long been known to contribute to physical ailments and disease. In a recent study published in the May 2009 issue of the journal Demography, the unemployed are twice as likely to report being diagnosed with an illness such as heart disease or diabetes over the 18 months following becoming unemployed, compared to continuously employed people.

When people are faced with a traumatic experience in life such as losing a job, they develop ways to adapt. The Gay & Lesbian Times spoke to a group of GLBT San Diegans and asked them about their experience with unemployment and how they were coping. Names have been changed to keep their identities anonymous.

“There is definitely a lot of cutting back on expenses.”

Adrianna Sterling – 54, transgender, University Heights resident – had been working as a Sector Enforcement Specialist, which, she says, is a fancy name for dispatcher for the Department of Homeland Security, since 1998.

But that ended last June when she was laid off. She had been making almost $60,000 annually. Now she receives almost $2,000 per month in unemployment.

“Had it not been for unemployment, I would probably be out on the streets by now,” Sterling said.

Sterling has been trying to reduce her costs of living since she became unemployed.

“There is definitely a lot of cutting back on expenses,” Sterling said. “I was looking into buying a condo. prior to this happening, but all those plans have been thrown out the window now.”

One positive thing about being unemployed, Stratus said, is her health. Her blood pressure had been going up every year over the past few years.

“Since I lost my job, [my blood pressure] is now starting to go down,” Sterling said. “I’ve charted it for most of the two and half months since I lost my job, and it has gone down considerably.”

“I was depressed to the point of not getting out of bed.”

Once Joseph Smith – 44, HIV-positive gay male, Downtown resident – became unemployed, his health took a nose-dive.

“My stress level was so high that I was feeling sick often. My T cell count went way down, and I was depressed to the point of not getting out of bed,” Smith said.

After securing Social Security benefits, Smith’s health got better.

“I feel much better emotionally, physically and spiritually,” Smith said.

Smith had been working as a night auditor for a local hotel until he was let go in January 2008. He said his job search has been discouraging.

“There seems to be a lot of positions available when searching online or in the papers and magazines. [But when I contacted them, they told me] they weren’t really looking for anyone, but wanted to keep the resumes coming,” Smith said. “It’s like they are teasing the general public to benefit themselves.”

Smith, who was once very loyal to his job, has now turned his focus to himself.

“I used to sacrifice a lot of things I wanted because I thought loyalty to my job was the priority, that loyalty would be rewarded to me later in life. Now, after what happened to me, I’ve learned that job loyalty, more often than not, doesn’t hold a lot of weight, Smith said. “I am now making myself the priority instead of my job.”

“I’ve sort of resigned from [looking for work].”

This is the third time Veronica Carter – 35, lesbian, City Heights resident – has been unemployed in the last four years. She was a receptionist for a biotech firm until she was let go a year and a half ago. She was making about $24,000 per year at the firm. Now she makes $1,100 per month through unemployment insurance.

Last March, Carter took a break from looking for work.

“I’ve sort of resigned from it for the time being,” she said.

Carter has made considerable changes to her life since becoming unemployed.

“I no longer have cable TV or Internet at home. I buy only food I will eat immediately. I don’t drive anywhere I don’t need to” Carter said.

Carter said she often has to turn down invitations to social events because she is often broke.

“People just don’t get it when you say ‘I don’t have any money.’ They’re like, ‘But, it’s only $5.’ And I’m thinking, ‘But I don’t have $5.’ I literally will have, like, $10 for almost two weeks to spend sometimes,” Carter said.

“Honestly, I have no idea [how I’m financially making it].”

Alexis Jackson – 31, lesbian, University Heights resident – has had a hard time finding work in her field of Internet marketing.

“People are spending less on marketing. It’s hard to find a job in the area when there are so few available, Jackson said. “In addition, it’s a rapidly changing field, so the longer I am out, the harder it is to find employment.”

Jackson’s last job was specifically in her field. She was a marketing manager at an Internet marketing company.

Jackson was laid off last year. She was making about $45,000 per year and now makes almost $2,000 per month through unemployment.

Asked how she was making it financially, Jackson said, “Honestly, I have no idea.” But she added, “Part of it is cutting every unnecessary expense and, on occasion, semi-necessary ones.”

One of Jackson’s many challenges since becoming unemployed is boredom.

“It’s a struggle sometimes, and it’s wearing on my psyche.” Jackson said. “Having no money and lots of time can lead to that.”

Like Adrianna, Jackson’s health is better since becoming unemployed. She used to struggle with migraines, but “without the stresses of my previous job, I’ve had considerably fewer migraines,” she says.

Having to cut costs has led Jackson to also become more physically fit.

“I can’t afford gas all of the time, so I ride my bicycle a lot more,” Jackson said. “I also trained for and completed a sprint triathlon last month!”

“I’m still a big person, but my weight is going down and, more importantly, my health is increasing,” she added.

“I was numb and depressed.”

Auggie Evans – gay male, 39, Old Town resident – was laid off less than two months ago.

“I was numb and depressed for about one to one and a half weeks,” Evans said.

Evans also became anxious about his job prospects.

“Looking at my lack of strength in work experience and a longterm employment gap prior to this job and lacking a college degree or equivalent vocation, I realized I would be literally begging for work again in this economy, even after working my rear off for 21 months,” Evans said.

Evans had been working at a nonprofit hospice as a marketing specialist, making $38,000 per year. Now he receives about $1,400 per month in unemployment insurance.

When asked if he was getting his basic needs met, Evans said, “Yes, but I don’t know for how long. “I don’t really have anything except a 2002 sports coupe and $2,000 in savings.”

Evans has decided to go back to school – he has been crashing classes all week long – but is scared that his unemployment benefits will be cut once the Employment Development Department finds out.

“In an economy like this, ‘looking for work’ should include ‘beginning to attend school’ so that one can develop marketable skill sets and education,” Evans said.

Evans is also looking at his experience in a different light.

“I have since accepted the situation, and I am looking at it more positively and more as laden with possibilities rather than representative of the things I have lost,” Evans said.

“I miss working. … I miss knowing that my paycheck will be there.”

Being unemployed for John Young – gay male, 39, North Park resident – has been a humbling experience.

“It is humbling to walk into stores, that I used to shop in, that I no longer can afford and asking a 20-something store manager for a job application,” said Young, who was laid off a year ago from an architectural lighting design firm where he worked as a designer.

A year later, Young continues to look for work.

“I scour the job search Web sites, Web sites of organizations that I dealt with during my years of being a lighting designer, newspaper ads, word of mouth etc.,” he said.

So far, Young’s search has been “frustrating.”

“No one is hiring in my field due to the economy, Young said. “Outside of my field, I can barely get an interview.”

There’s also a lot that Young misses about working.

“I miss working. I miss getting up in the morning and going to work. I miss knowing that my paycheck will be there,” he said.

“At first I felt confident. … Then I started doubting.”

Sandy Barnes – lesbian, 56, La Mesa resident – thought it would be easy finding a new job when she was laid off as an operations manager for an insurance company in July 2008.

“At first I felt confident I wouldn’t have a problem getting another job, but then I started to feel down and started doubting whether or not I had really done all those things on my resume,” Sandy said.

One thing that keeps Barnes from losing hope is her friends.

“They have been the lifeline to my sanity. They know what I went through before and how successful I have been over the years,” Barnes said. “They help me remember when I can’t. They are the ones who get me out of my apartment.”

Becoming unemployed has, however, allowed Barnes to spend more time with her family and friends.

“I may not have money to spend on them, but I can give my time and love to my grandchildren and my friends,” she said.

Barnes is also fortunate to have free health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Barnes joined the Navy in the ’70s, and in the ’80s she joined the reserves.

The last time Barnes was unemployed, she was diagnosed with cancer.

“I learned a lesson from that, and tried to keep my fears and depression under control this time,” she said.

“All I’ve known was work since the age of 17.”

Bradley Cooper, gay male, 27, Hillcrest resident – quit his job. That was back in 2007. At the time, he thought he could easily find a new one.

Cooper was a blackjack dealer at a local casino. He was making a little more than $100,000 per year, but he hated it.

“When I worked at the casino, I was extremely depressed, unhappy and a really negative person, Cooper said. “Since then, I am a lot happier and so much more positive as a person.”

Being unemployed has been an “eyeopening experience,” said Cooper who recently gave up on looking for another job.

“All I’ve known was work since the age of 17, and to not work felt weird. It’s been difficult finding a job in this economy, so I’ve given up,” he said.

Right now Cooper is living off student loans; he went back to school a while back. Cooper also gets help from friends and family.

“I have a lot of support. I try my best to survive off the limited income I have through my student loans. However, if I run out of funds my family is always there to back me up for my bills,” Cooper said.

Unemployment Lifeline

www.unemploymentlifeline.com

San Diego Workforce Partnership, Inc.

Tel: 619-228-2900

www.sandiegoatwork.com

YMCA Childcare Resource Service

800-481-2151

www.ymcacrs.org

San Diego Food Bank

858-527-1419

www.sandiegofoodbank.org

Acorn Housing, San Diego

619-521-2940

www.acornhousing.org

San Diego Coalition For The Homeless

619-281-1815