Queer and COVID: A Potentially Disastrous Combination for Workers, Patients, and Students
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed more than ever the stark divides in America’s systems. LGBTQIA+* Americans are being more impacted by the novel coronavirus than their cishet (cisgender, heterosexual, and heteroromantic) counterparts.
Queer people are more likely to have preexisting conditions and are more prone to homelessness and tight living quarters, all heightening the risk for falling ill. More than 5 million people who are LGBTQIA+ work in jobs that have been especially impacted by the pandemic, such as food service and hospitals.
Based on the most recent data by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, that would mean around 40.5 percent of LGBTQIA+ individuals work in these dangerous positions, compared to 22 percent of those who are not sexual and gender minorities (SGM). In addition, they are 6 percent more likely to live in poverty, and that number increases for transgender people, immigrants, and people of color. This gap comes mainly from housing instability and workplace discrimination.
This means that many LGBTQIA+ workers are unable to take time off in order to care for themselves or others, heightening the effects of COVID-19.
Queer healthcare
Then, once actually becoming infected with COVID-19, access to healthcare is much more limited for queer patients. They are 5 percent less likely to have health insurance. Paid leave policies are often prejudiced, as many are not inclusive of nontraditional families or gender-blind implementation. Furthermore, those employees that do have adequate paid leave are sometimes reluctant to use it for fear of being outed in the workplace. This means that many LGBTQIA+ workers are unable to take time off in order to care for themselves or others, heightening the effects of COVID-19.
In order to counteract this gap, medical professionals must understand the physical and social vulnerability of this community and act accordingly. This should include an increase in both remote counseling and assessment screening services. Health care workers must be trained to treat a wide variety of sexes, genders, and orientations. Of course, outside of the medical industry, inclusive policies in the workplace, social security, and other systems can create less damage to LGBTQIA+ people.
Almost half of LGBTQIA+ households reported struggling with social isolation.
Queer students
Queer youth have been uniquely impacted by the pandemic as many have been isolated from their families, both physically and psychologically. The lack of interpersonal interaction and safe spaces is creating a decline in mental health as well. Maddie Clarke, a 16-year-old co-president of Severn School’s GSA has felt disconnected from her community during virtual learning. She commented, “going back to school was definitely really weird.” Queer adolescents reported a reluctance in partaking in teletherapy for fear of being overheard and/or outed to their households. Clarke was grateful for her pre-existing relationship with her therapist, as it made it easier to overlook the technical difficulties. Almost half of LGBTQIA+ households reported struggling with social isolation.
On the flip side, many kids are commenting that the space from bullies and access to online support groups have both increased during virtual learning, one of the few benefits to the pandemic. Clarke is appreciating the opportunity to make the GSA, United Spectrum, more “covert” and easier to get involved with as a closeted or embarrassed student. She said that the group has had “more participation than we’ve had in the past,” speculating that “maybe it’s the fact that they (the participants) can put headphones in and be a part of it rather than having to tell their parents.”
Unfortunately, an update in data and research is necessary to fully understand the issue, implement more inclusion, and allow for equitable disaster preparedness plans. Clarke, too, echoes this sentiment, adding that the issue of gay rights has been “put into the corner for a little bit.” If you identify as LGBTQIA+ and are looking for protective information, check out this briefing from Fenway Health.
Citations/More Information:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7309741/pdf/main.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7377779/pdf/main.pdf
https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2213-8587%2820%2930182-0
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/heq.2020.0012
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/lgbt.2020.0187
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7476578/pdf/main.pdf
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/pcn.13080
https://www.lgbtmap.org/file/2020-covid-lgbtq-households-report.pdf
Annie Bennett is a journalism student at Emerson College. Her goal is to use media and communications as tools for human rights and social justice. She is originally from Maryland.