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2020-12The impact of COVID on the LGBTQ+ Community
This PDF details data related to the LGBTQ+ Community's relationship with COVID in America. Based on the data, it is clear many within the community struggled with excessive financial issues, the inability to receive medical care, and the loss of insurance. While the pandemic has placed serious burdens as a whole on society, data such as this is valuable as it allows a look into the most vulnerable communities within society already, and how COVID has destroyed the once normal lives of so many. -
2022-07-11LGBTQ+ VA Healthcare in Arkansas in the wake of COVID
This is the Arkansas Veterans Affairs website listing specific resources for LGBTQ+ veterans in Arkansas. This site places a specific emphasis on Central Arkansas due to the heavy LGBTQ+ population in that area. In order to combat COVID-19, this site focuses on not only concerted vaccine rollout for LGBTQ+ vets, but also lists mental health resources in order to combat COVID-19. I think this shows a particular vulnerability to a select group and how COVID-19 can reach anyone. Indeed, it is essential that at-risk groups such as the LGBTQ+ community are not overlooked in the age of COVID, and it is encouraging to see the VA take steps to assure this is the case. -
2022-06-04After coming out during the pandemic, many LGBTQ+ folks look to 2022’s Pride with a mix of emotions
This is a news story from The Seattle Times by Scott Greenstone. Pride has changed quite a bit over the last two years due to COVID. For a while, Pride celebrations were held virtually. The in-person events in 2022 will now resemble what Pride was like prior to the virus. Included in this article are personal stories of people who did not come out until the pandemic, with this year being the first year they will attend Pride in-person. For some, they didn't realize they were trans until the pandemic hit. Rhys Hutton, for instance, did not know he was trans, and is also coming to grips with having autism. Hutton's story of how he came to the realization started on TikTok when the algorithm kept showing videos of trans-masculine people. This exposure helped him figure out his identity more. Stories like this are not uncommon, according to a recent Gallup poll, ten percent of Millennials and twenty percent of Gen Z identify as LGBTQ+. -
2020-12-28First Time Swimming Shirtless During The Pandemic
This is a picture of me swimming for the first time after top surgery! I can't even begin to explain how free I felt. One of the things I was worried about was the fact that my fiancé and I not being able to swim because there was people there, but it was completely empty! It was almost like it was meant to be. After being confined about something for so long and being able to take off my shirt in public was so weird! Before this picture, the last time I went swimming was in 2015. And now, I'm able to enjoy the water and the beach with my fiancé. -
2020-10-09Traveling During The Pandemic For Top Surgery
I traveled from Virginia to Texas for my top surgery. We drove all the way there and stopped in Tennessee on the way there and on the way back. I hadn't gotten the vaccine yet for COVID-19 and I was going to be going to a hospital in a different state that I had never been to. This is was the crazy decision I had ever made, but it was so worth it. -
2022-03-31Suicide Statistics Against Queer Youth
Suicide statistics against queer youth released by the CDC in the first half of 2021. According to the CDC, 1 in 4 queer children attempted suicide. -
2020-06-03The Survival of an LGBTQ+ Community in the Bible Belt During the Age of Covid-19
Deep in the Ozark Mountains lies the small resort town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This community relies heavily on tourism, shopping, and the many natural spas erupting from within the Ozarks. This community is also home to a thriving LGBTQ+ community in the heart of the Conservative Bible Belt. As Covid quickly enveloped Arkansas and restrictions were placed on activity, Eureka Springs and the LGBTQ+ crowd suffered. While there is a strong Queer population in Eureka Springs, the area is home to a strong evangelical crowd. This article details how the LGBTQ+ community took greeter precautions to protect against Covid, while the Evangelical crowd largely disregarded the pandemic entirely. Covid truly resurfaced a tremendous divide amongst the population of Eureka Springs which had, for the most part, been stable. The nature of pandemic regulations and the adherence or neglect of these regulations spilled over into the greater conflict between Evangelicals and the LGBTQ+ community, an occurrence that would otherwise be non-existent without the presence of Covid-19. This article highlights that while Covid seems to have the primary grip over our lives at the moment, we must be conscious of the impact Covid can have on other areas of life, deep-seeded conflict, and the general safety of vulnerable groups. -
2021-05-07The Invisibility of the LGBTQ+ Community in the age of COVID-19
This is an article form the New York Times detailing the views of a transgender woman and her views on the invisibility of Queer people when collecting data regarding vaccines. There has been extensive data highlighting the disparity of President Biden's vaccine rollout along racial and socio-economic lines. Racially diverse and poorer communities have faced some of the greatest struggles when dealing with COVID-19, yet disproportionately have received less vaccines and vaccine availability. While the disparity is recognized, little seems to be done to change it. Further related to the article, the transgender woman in question, Josie Nixon, expressed her fears that Queer people arguably face a greater disparity and fears that the community will become faded in the attempt to quickly roll-out vaccines. Nixon asserts that while there is an abundance of data associated with racial and economically impoverished groups, data related to the LGBTQ+ community is miniscule, which presents a danger of that vulnerable community being left behind. The article's ultimate assertion and conclusion is that Queer people must have greater inclusivity in data collection in order to give a clear picture to the government to aid in the distribution of vaccines. Failing to do so, Nixon argues, places an already at-risk community to greater issues. -
2022-03-21In Hanover, the anti-LGBTQ school board needs discipline, not protesting students
This story is about the school board of Hanover County in Virginia needing discipline instead of letting it's students protest and participate in walk-outs during school hours because of the policies against their transgender students. The school board is accused of having no intentions of supporting the non-binary and transgender students of Hanover. This is important because it is once again showing discriminatory policies that the school board keeps bringing up against transgender students during the COVID-19 pandemic. -
2022-03-11The Hanover County School Board, in partnering with an anti-LGBTQ outfit, has declared war on its transgender students.
This news article is from the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Richmond, Virginia. The article contains a recent review of the Hanover Country School Board seeking legal advice from a well-known hate group that disguises themselves as "Christian conservative legal group" also known as the Alliance Defending Freedom. Back in December of 2021, the ACLU of Virginia filed against Hanover County for discriminatory policies against transgender students. The pandemic has bought out numerous laws against the safety of LGBTQ students and individuals. This is just a small example of what queer children have been facing since the start of the pandemic. -
2021-03-08T12:38Danny Denial Oral History, 2021/03/08
Self-description: “Audio visual artist that lives in Seattle, Washington, specifically in the realm of music and film, and also the intersection of the two. A lot of my work involves amplifying experiences and voices that are often underrepresented, primarily in the Black and LBGTQ+ community. And that’s something that overtime my work has been diving deeper and deeper into over the years, which is something that I think as an artist, I’ve only really come to terms with in the last few years. But it’s been definitely both empowering for me and illuminating to see it reflected back in the ways that people have responded to the work.” Other biographical details: late 20s, from Los Angeles. Some of the things we discussed include: The dysphoric experience of Black artists filtered through white talking points. Unstable work and income as an artist--audio and visual--pre- and mid-pandemic. 2019 was the first year that work as an artist and in performance communities was stable. Releasing the album Fuck Danny Denial in 2020 (https://dannydenial.bandcamp.com/album/fuck-danny-denial). Pandemic specific economic penalties of musicians in the case of live streams for Seattle Pride and Folsom Street Fair. The burden on artists to make ethical calls about canceling performances in the early stages of the pandemic, and needing to wear “new hats”, like health safety inspector. The pandemic as a shared experience of stoppage, and the need for adaptation. Aging and changing awareness about one’s needs for health care. Working to build equitable opportunities for artists. Since 2015-2019 doing gigs and video projects on contracts. Media outlets’ poor representations of the summer protests, acts of civil disobedience, and the autonomous zone in Seattle. Funding the serial project Bazooka (http://web.archive.org/web/20210622155802/https://ca.gofundme.com/f/dannydenialbazzooka) The ethical decisions associated with wanting to participate in amplifying and uplifting the BLM movement without exploitation for personal gain, engaging as a citizen. Witnessing a friend’s experience of hospitalization due to COVID-19. The value in studying patterns of human friendships and how the pandemic disrupted the conditioning of existence and the importance of local histories of resistance in Seattle. Cultural references: Pan’s Labyrinth, Smash Mouth’s super spreader event, Portland International Film Festival, The Tape Deck Podcast, Punk Black, Darksmith, Taco Cat, Alice and Chains, Duff McKagan, Pearl Jam, MoPOP, Shaina Shepherd, and TheBlackTones. -
2021-04-15Kentucky Vaccination Statistics
Congratulations to the 3 nonbinary people in Kentucky who were vaccinated, however, I believe there could be more as some people might be afraid to select that box or don't know what to select as their gender as many queer people like I do when it comes to medical records as there is a small fear of the worry of facing discrimination in the healthcare field. This graph is both funny and a sign of a sad current present for queer and gender non-conforming people. -
2021-03-31Trans Day of Visibility, Alberta
This is a post from a popular Instagram page, mrfactsalberta on Trans Day of Visibility on March 31st, 2021. This message of solidarity and love towards Trans Albertans, stating that together we have the potential to challenge the discrimination in our province, which is known as one of the most socially conservative provinces in Canada which has a dark history of oppression and discrimination towards members of the LGBTQ+ community. The description of the post reads, “We all know the truth. This province is notorious for keeping Trans People on the fringes of society. But it’s important that we work to make it better and easier to live here because nobody should feel like an outsider in their own province.” Albertans must be able to call out discrimination towards Transgender people on a daily basis, this day alone represents the urgent need for Alberta to work together to defend Albertans against bigotry and discrimination, to protect Trans people and Trans rights for now and forever. The call to work however is more than just a call to visibility; it is a call for liberation. -
2020-11-11Hungary Government Proposes Gay Adoption Ban As COVID-19 Rages
The story from Reuters talks about how the country of Hungary has people who want to ban Gay adoption as COVID-19 is raging around the world. It is important to note that there are many people who are losing loved ones and who will need a home in the future. The proposed ban would not allow people who are both domestic and international to adopt from this country that currently has a COVID-19 rate that is going up. The Prime Minister is proposing that there be an Amendment stating that children be raised with Christian traditional gender roles. Hungary currently does not allow for same-sex marriage. -
2020-06-20For LGBTQ Patients, the Coronavirus Brings New Challenges
This article by John Hopkins Medicine is talking about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the LGBTQ+ community. The doctor points out that community members are more likely to be smokers and so they are higher proportionately to have complications with COVID-19. The doctor also points out that gender-affirming surgery in the Transgender community has been delayed or is not being done at all which has impacted that community greatly. It is important that the doctor gives the advice to not isolate ourselves in the LGBTQ+ community throughout the pandemic. -
2021The Lives and Livelihoods of Many in the LGBTQ Community are at Risk Amidst COVID-19 Crisis
The story speaks about how many people in the LGBTQ community are at risk while the COVID-19 crisis is occurring. The study shows that people within the community have less access to healthcare, a greater risk of health complications due to COVID-19, and do not have paid leave. -
2021-03-29Being More Social In The LGBTQ+ Community
After getting my last dose of the vaccine my husband and I have been able to be more social with others in the LGBTQ+ Community and Allies who have had their vaccine. For the first time in a year we actually had a date night eating ramen and other yummy food then we were able to meet up with friends who have been vaccinated for drinks. This finally helps me to possibly see a light at the end of the tunnel. -
2021-03-29Lessening the Pandemic’s Burden on LGBTQ Workers and Families
This article is very interesting as it mentions that LGBTQ+ people are more likely to be at higher risk to have worse COVID-19 than heterosexual counterparts. The COVID-19 Pandemic has shown the cracks that are in the LGBTQ+ community as a whole. These impacts include participating in the workforce less, less economically secure, and homelessness. Eventhough, this group has been discriminated against and continue to be in soma cases they are not alone feeling the brunt of this COVID-19 Pandemic. Other groups include communities of color, low-income households, and people with disabilities. This pandemic has caused people to start to notice these disparities and as someone who is apart of the LGBTQ+ community, there is a higher chance of not receiving a job based on just this fact. I have seen this in action in my own life before and it is not always blatant and more work needs to be done on this front. -
2021-03-28Vaccinated
I know the LGBTQ+ Community has a higher chance to have depression, anxiety, and other health ailments like many other minority communities. This Friday I got my second dose of the vaccine. I have been encouraging others in my LGBTQ+ Community to get the vaccine so this is one less health ailment they have to worry about. -
03/13/2021Paul Jason Baker-Nicholas Oral History, 2021/03/26
Paul Jason Baker-Nicholas gives an oral history interview about how COVID-19 has affected the LGBTQ+ Community. -
2021-03-21Ilhan Omar Thread on Current Border Policy
People who lack empathy to imagine circumstances outside their own two feet is what we’re dealing with. A bunch of folks who have never left America, let alone their own state. If they did it was to the “big city” and their understanding of American politics is that it’s a game and they don’t want to lose. They don’t know why they’re playing they just don’t want to lose. They have no faith in anything other than the American myth of pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. How do we lead a horse to water who isn’t thirsty? Focus the herd towards the water and the stubborn horse will eventually drink -
03/13/2021Covid-19's Effect on LGBTQ+ Community in NYC
Interview with Krystal McRae -
2021-03-15I'm Ready 2020
We are building out our work beyond social media. Until we can share more details, here are some notes from the #ImReady2020 “Hope, Healing, Accountability” convening we held last year, which included community organizers, healing practitioners, youth leaders, teachers, scholars, legal experts, and more. Thank you to everyone who continues to share their wisdom about why this moment is happening + for doing the work to demand resources + to build accountability structures across all of our communities. We honor the work community members, including organizers and educators - do every single day to create change + to take care of our communities. . . #IMREADY2020 @aapiwomenlead works every day to make sure our progressive communities are highlighted, informed, held and organized. Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander women and girls, gender non-conforming communities have BEEN here surviving + resisting CENTURIES of white supremacy, colonial violence. We have been leading in solidarity with all BIPOC communities- even when we keep getting erased. We will stay at it. Here are a few notes from yesterday. Videos to come. . . . Posted @withregram • @aapiwomenlead We can’t be happy enough with today’s news!!!! Thank goodness for all the organizers that worked so very hard to change the administration! AND we finished our first day of the #IMREADY2020 conference, “Hope, Healing, Accountability.” We learned about the history of militarization, colonization, police violence and war against our communities. And we learned about the ways that AAPI women and girls - across the gender spectrum, queer communities, and youth have always been at the forefront of liberation work. We will stay at this work to transform this place. For today - we celebrate. . . . (image description - image 1: there is an increase in hate violence against Asians through the trump administration and COVID. but will this violence end with this new regime? -Dr. Mimi Kim #IMREADY2020; captions continued in comments] #aapiwomenlead #insolidarity -
2021-03-16Bill's Against Trans Children
Verified Reposted from @chasestrangio PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY. 1. Watch this video of a father begging his government not to silence his trans daughter’s spirit. 2. Share this video and raise all the alarms to #ProtectTransKids. 3. Help contact South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and tell her to veto HB1217 a bill that bars trans kids from sports and forces all kids to turn over private medical information to the state. Gov. Noem could sign the bill at any moment. Call! 605-773-3212. E-mail: governornoem@state.sd.us. 4. Help share info about Alabama bill SB10/HB1 which makes it a FELONY to provide gender affirming care to trans people under 19. The House is voting TODAY. Call Alabama Reps and tell them to Vote NO on SB10. I am not exaggerating when I say trans kids’ lives are on the line. Act now!! -
2020-07-10The average life expectancy of BIPOC trans women in North and South America is 30 - 35 years old
The average life expectancy of BIPOC trans women in North and South America is 30 - 35 years old. In just the last week, six Black trans women were found dead in the US. Say their names: Bree Black (27), Shaki Peters (32), Draya McCarty, Brayla Stone (17), Merci Mack (22), and Tatiana Hall (22). BIPOC trans lives under the constant threat of violence + murder. We need to protect trans lives, speak out against these killings, and end the systematic devaluation of trans lives in our society, culture, and politics. Here are just a few orgs to get involved with and stay informed: @transjusticefp - a community-led funding initiative to support grassroots, trans justice groups run by and for trans people @forthegworls - assisting Black trans with rent + affirmative surgery @tgijustice - ending the human rights abuses committed against transgender, gender variant and intersex people in California prisons and beyond @blackxcollective - Black trans/Queer youth organizing using art, direct action & political education -
2021-02-28Transphobia
From Drew Arrieta: Dolores "Lola" Gonzalez was an employee at a South Minneapolis Cub Foods for seventeen years. After asking management at the location to act on ongoing transphobic and discriminatory harassment received from co-workers and customers, she was dismissed from her position on February 17th. Yesterday, community members and customers rallied to show support for her and condemn Cub Foods for upholding transphobia. -
2021-03-12A Wedding... We Hope
When our friends got engaged at the end of 2019, we were extremely excited for them. Then COVID happened. This week, we received their Save the Date card and are cautiously excited. As the back of the card explains, our friends realize that their wedding plans are contingent on the state of the virus. It is a reminder that even though we are hopefully heading in a positive direction, it doesn’t mean everything is normal yet. Fingers crossed that it will happen and that we will be able to safely attend (may need to leave the kids at home, because I doubt they’ll be vaccinated yet. But let’s be honest, weddings are boring for kids, and after a year of quarantine, a weekend away from them will be a nice change of pace.) *The couple gave me permission to post their Save the Date to the archive, and requested their names, and the date for context, remain public. -
2021-03-10Artists decorate COVID-19 masks to raise $13,500 for LGBTQ charity
Artists in Baltimore were encouraged to create and donate masks to be auctioned off. 40% of the profits from the masks went to local artists while the remaining amount went to Baltimore Community Foundations" LQBTQ fund. The fund supports numerous LGBTQ organizations in Baltimore such as peer counseling, suicide prevention, and health services. -
2021-03-04Teachers spell out racial slur with giant Scrabble letters. Parents are pissed.
From the article: One parent said that her son is “tired” of the racism because it is a common occurrence at the school. “He absolutely told me, ‘Mom, I’m tired of it, do what you need to do because this is not fair and I’m tired of feeling like this,'” she said. But one of the school’s basketball coaches, John Smith, is standing up for the teachers. “This isn’t our school, this was a mistake,” he said. “Everybody in the world makes mistakes, everybody in the world has faults and this is just a little fault that we’ve had. This is not our school. I truly believe that they did not know what they were posting.” The school, though, openly supports discrimination. Their website says that the school teaches that marriage is “the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture” and denounces the “immorality and sinfulness of sexual relationships outside of biblical marriage and of sexual relationships between persons of the same sex.” -
2021-02-07Canada's LGBTQ+ Community Struggles with Housing & Health (On Top of the Discrimination)
Unfortunately, the LGBTQ+ community is no stranger to discrimination. From school, to work, to finding a safe place to stay. We have heard about campuses closing due to the pandemic, and thus left many in the community to reevaluate their housing options. Some have had to return to their family home, despite some of those homes being less than accepting of them. With everyone concerned over their health, it is only right to allow everyone to feel safe where they live, too. However, this does not only affect the youth populations. The older members of the community have also been struggling with housing and healthcare. As one of the linked articles wrote, there is a lack of data collection regarding the LGBTQ+ populations. Their needs and concerns cannot be tackled with if the data were never there to begin with. It seems to go downhill from here as health concerns increase while their mental health deteriorates. -
2019-09-13Canceled Pride Parade
My first time at a Pride parade was in 2019. The time at the pride parade made me super proud of who I am and that facet of my life. The photo I chose from the parade is that of the giant unicorn. I chose to use the unicorn photo because it truly represents LGBTQ+ people I feel because many people in my community consider themselves a unicorn which represents a mythological creature that is a myth and shows people view them as unique. The reason this picture represents Covid-19 is that for the past two years the Pride Parade in Durham, North Carolina has been canceled. It has bummed me out not being able to go to the Pride parade because having a new excitement for my community made me sad that I could not continue this. Also, I was looking forward to this event annually and making it a tradition. -
2021-01-21A Quarantine Gender Tale
Living in a pandemic, navigating through the ins and outs of being (almost) 17, and self-reflecting on who I am during quarantine has shaped me into an entirely different person than who I was at the start of 2020. I remember sitting through a speaker presentation for a club I’m in during Transgender Awareness Week; In part because of LGBTQ+ education being moved into virtual spaces and in part because I feel the term now deeply resonates with me, I quickly took this screenshot of the slide defining the term non-binary. Before the pandemic, gender and how I viewed it was never a thought in my head because I often had no time to even reflect on what it meant to be a girl, to be a boy, or to simply exist beyond the binary. But I feel like if this prolonged period of isolation has taught me anything, it’s that gender and my relation to it will always remain an agglomeration of everything and nothing at all, and sometimes that’s perfectly normal. -
2020-12-15Pride 2020 Through Art: Queer Media as Lego Minifigures
When I had the idea to focus a mini collection on the expression of sexuality during the pandemic, one of the things that came to mind was Pride 2020. I myself was going to attend the event in Boston this year, however, like much of the United States, the celebration was cancelled. However, I knew that the LGBT community wouldn’t just let June pass by without some celebration. This post from Reddit displays how one individual spent pride month with the goal of turning individuals from queer media into Lego minifigures. Queer characters in movies and television are not all that easy to find, so this individual’s work had the potential to introduce anyone who stumbles upon their posts to queer characters. This in itself amplifies the voices of the LGBT community, by in a way calling for the normalization of queer characters in media, and giving them a way to share their identities through projects they create. -
2020-10-25Man at Trump Rally in NYC
Man wearing a "Gays For Trump" shirt and a MAGA hat at a pro-Trump protest in New York City during COVID-19. -
2020-09-18Human Rights Campaign Releases New Data Showing Latinx LGBTQ People Suffer Disproportionate Impact From COVID-19- Economic Fallout
"Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation released new data outlining the economic impact of COVID-19 on Latinx LGBTQ people. The new research shows that Latinx LGBTQ people are more likely to have had their employment adversely impacted due to the virus, are more likely to have made changes to their household budgets and are more likely to have asked for delays in paying various expenses for necessities than the general population." -
2020-06-18"LGBTQ Inequality and Vulnerability in the Pandemic"
"Around the world, LGBTQ people are more vulnerable to the pandemic — especially where their status intersects with poverty." -
2020-08-06Bloom/Florece
I've loved drawing all my life but I've never felt like I had the time to practice or the skill. I started journaling and this is one of the drawings I did. I feel proud of it... -
2020-06-19Bathroom Black Lives Matter LGBTQ+ Amazon Announcement
In this Announcement posted above the urinal in the Amazon Warehouse bathroom, the link between Black Lives Matter, the LGBTQ+ movement, and Amazon is made explicit. Clearly Amazon is actively choosing to endorse the Black Lives Matter movement in light of the fact that protesters were risking people's lives, according to the narrative, because many were not social-distancing during their protests, thus putting the public i.e. the elderly at risk. So this stance is noteworthy. -
2020-06-28Black Lives Matter, Trans Lives Matter, Gay Lives Matter
Tyler Coffey posted this vibrant image featuring a person holding a sign that reads "Black Lives Matter, Trans Lives Matter, Queer Lives Matter," while standing in front of a colorfully decorate van, on his Instagram account. There is also a sign on the front of the van that reads "The first pride was a riot." The person holding the sign, as well as another figure in the background, are wearing masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This photograph was posted during San Francisco's pride weekend, traditionally held the last weekend in June. Rainbow flags and other apparel items are clearly seen in the background. -
2020-06-28San Francisco Pride, 50-Year Anniversary
2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the San Francisco Pride Celebrations and Festivals. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all in person events were cancelled. The SF Pride organization instead created a virtual celebration. Following tradition, all virtual events are being held the last weekend in June, June 27-28, 2020. SF Pride events are available on Twitch, YouTube and Facebook. Additionally CBS will broadcast all events.