Activists are calling for more support for LGBTQ people during the pandemic, who face daunting challenges as an extra-vulnerable group.
For the first time ever, a shelter for homeless LGBTQ people in Singapore has a waiting list of people asking to stay there after the city-state imposed safe distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With COVID-19, trans people are forced to stay at home. Conflicts come with transphobic families,” said Chua. Queer communities across the region have attempted to adapt to the pandemic and provide support to each other. LGBTQ people are often scapegoated by society when crises occur, and have been blamed for the spread of the current pandemic in some countries. Gay people in South Korea are facing intense cyber abuse and were blamed in some quarters for the second wave of COVID-19 infections in the country. The infections occurred after restrictions were relaxed in early May, and were traced to nightclubs in Seoul’s Itaewon area, known to be a gathering place for gay people.
Gianina Kon, a therapist in Malaysia who counsels queer people, says LGBTQ people who have to stay at home for long periods with homophobic family members can suffer from intense isolation and emotional stress. “They find it difficult to cope with their current situation because they cannot seek support outside the home…They are constantly in fear of trying to express themselves at home within non-queer-affirming families,” said Kon.
Mohazah , a 33-year-old lesbian, agrees and yearns for the day when she can return to the space. “There is a spirit there that cannot be denied – the feeling that we are all united despite the hate we may receive from outside society,” she said.
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