OutRight Action International, which works at a global, regional and national level to eradicate the persecution, inequality and violence LGBTQ+ people face around the world, has released a pioneering report, Vulnerability Amplified: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on LGBTIQ people, documenting the effects of the pandemic on LGBTQ+ people.
While the Covid-19 pandemic leaves no country and no individual unaffected, drawing on almost 60 rapid research interviews conducted with LGBTQ+ people in all regions of the world, the report overwhelmingly shows that the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ people as a result of the virus and surrounding containment measures are specific and amplified compared to the broader population.
The specific challenges faced by LGBTQ+ people identified in OutRight’s new report are:
- Devastation of livelihoods – rising food and shelter insecurity resulting from job loss, and economic fall out as a result of over-representation of LGBTQ+ people in the informal sector and broad employment discrimination;
- Disruptions in accessing health care, including crucial HIV medication and gender affirming treatments, and reluctance to seek health care due to discrimination, stigma and refusal of services experienced by LGBTQ+ people even outside a pandemic;
- Elevated risk of domestic and family violence – the most prevalent form of violence faced by LGBTQ+ people on a day-to-day basis is heightened in circumstances of lockdowns, curfews and lack of access to support services and community resources;
- Social isolation and increased anxiety which are further heightened by being cut off from chosen families and the LGBTQ+ community;
- Scapegoating, societal discrimination and stigma – there is an unfortunate history of LGBTQ+ people being blamed for emergency situations, leading to further stigmatisation, marginalisation, violence and danger;
- Abuse of state power – repression, exclusion, and criminalisation are all on the rise in countries prone to authoritarianism and regressive gender ideologies, with some states using the emergency situation to clamp down specifically on LGBTQ+ people;
- Concerns about organisational survival – amplifying the effects even further are the impacts on LGBTQ+ community organisations and spaces, which are a lifeline to countless LGBTQ+ people. Organisations now face an uncertain future with funding cuts, lockdowns, and having to shift activities online while calls for direct, practical support are on the rise.
Jessica Stern, Executive Director of OutRight, said: ‘Covid-19 and the surrounding containment measures affect everyone, everywhere. But those most marginalised feel it more.
‘Even in the absence of a pandemic, LGBTQ+ people experience higher levels of discrimination, violence and deprivation around the world. Now we are at a heightened risk of domestic and family abuse, we lack access to crucial HIV and gender affirming medication, get scapegoated for the pandemic, and excluded from relief efforts, while being cut off from LGBTQ+ organisations and support networks.
‘For us the situation is dire. I fear how many LGBTQ+ people will lose their lives because of the amplified vulnerability we face. We need immediate action from governments, the UN, and the philanthropic sector to prevent an LGBTQ+ humanitarian crisis.’
The results of the research report are reinforced by initial data from applications to OutRight’s COVID-19 Global LGBTIQ Emergency Fund. Within a month of opening, OutRight received over 1,500 requests for help from LGBTQ+ organisations across the world, the vast majority requesting resources to alleviate food and shelter insecurity. As ever, LGBTQ+ organisations are being called on to step in where other institutions fail to safeguard LGBTQ+ people’s health, safety and wellness.
For more info, visit: www.outrightinternational.org
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