Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the LGBT community

[37] Kyle Casey Chu, a writer from San Francisco, documented the ways in which the pandemic, particularly but not exclusively the requirement for people to wear masks when socializing in public, impacted traditional gay sexual behaviours in an August article for Xtra!.

According to Human Rights Watch, these asylum-seeking refugees come from other parts of Africa such as "Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, and Nigeria".

[44] On 29 March 2020, 23 gay men and trans women were detained by police at an LGBT+ shelter in Kampala, Uganda, run by the non-profit Children of the Sun Foundation.

[51] GagaOOLala, described by Reuters as "Asia's first LGBT+ video streaming platform, dubbed the continent's 'gay Netflix'", expanded with the hope of reaching people who are isolating because of the pandemic.

Some in Indonesia's transgender community, including those of waria background, raised money to provide food aid and masks to people who required them.

South Korean authorities also introduced "anonymous testing", requiring only a phone number to come forward, in order to mend fears of outing.

[66] A top Turkish Muslim scholar and President of the Directorate of Religious Affairs, Ali Erbaş, said in a Ramadan announcement on 8 May 2020 that the country condemned homosexuality because it "brings illness", insinuating that same-sex relations are responsible for COVID-19.

[69] On 30 March, Hungary's National Assembly passed a bill permitting Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to rule by decree for the indefinite period of the country's state of emergency.

[70] This bill controversially made the deliberate distribution of misleading information relating to the pandemic an imprisonable offense, drawing widespread criticism from opposition parties for the law's potential for abuse.

[74][73] A study by the Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade do Porto (FPCEUP) aimed at "assessing the psychological health and social support networks" of LGBT+ young people who live with their parental figures during the COVID-19 pandemic concluded, based on a survey of 632 young LGBT+ people, who most did not feel comfortable in their families during confinement.

[75] "As for the present study, if for some young people the covid-19 pandemic had no impact on their social support networks, an important proportion felt quite isolated from their friends", says FPCEUP.

[75] Patriarch Filaret, a prominent religious leader in Ukraine who heads the UOC-KP, claimed that COVID-19 was "God's punishment for the sins of men", linking it to same-sex marriage.

[77] A spokeswoman for Amnesty International Ukraine said about the matter that Filaret's comments "are very harmful because they could lead to increased attacks, aggression, discrimination and acceptance of violence against certain groups.

"[78][79] In the United Kingdom, sexually active gay and bisexual men were restricted from donating plasma for a National Health Service's (NHS) coronavirus research trial.

[91][92] In 2020, Canadian health professionals and researchers noted that LGBTQ+ people in Canada were uniquely vulnerable to both contracting COVID-19 and suffering under social-distancing regulations.

[107] Glad Day Bookshop announced various plans to support LGBTQ artists and performers during the pandemic and the associated shutdown of most venues that they depend on for income, including a crowdfunded Emergency Survival Fund to provide loans and grants,[108] and GD TV, a Zoom-based online channel for LGBTQ artists, writers, musicians, dancers and drag queens to livestream readings and performances.

[111] The vulnerability of many LGBTQ businesses was spotlighted in early May when Pegasus, a popular bar in Toronto's Church and Wellesley village, announced that it was at risk of closing because its landlord was refusing to participate in the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program.

[113] The 519 community centre followed up with an open letter suggesting that the entire Church and Wellesley village was in danger of disappearing if the federal and provincial governments did not take steps to improve their protection of small businesses.

[115] Residents of the neighbourhood have also noted a significant increase in crime and violence, related in part to an impromptu encampment of homeless people setting up tents in Barbara Hall Park.

[116] Twisted Element, a gay bar in Calgary, Alberta, similarly went through bureaucratic hassles as it attempted to shift its business model from a nightclub to a pub-style restaurant so that it could remain in operation.

[120] On June 24, CBC Gem and Buddies in Bad Times collaborated on Queer Pride Inside, an online event hosted by Elvira Kurt and featuring performances by Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Teiya Kasahara, Yovska, Ivan Coyote, Les Femmes Fatales, Gay Jesus, Cris Derksen, Luna DuBois, Pearle Harbour, Tawiah M'carthy, Stewart Legere, Alexis O'Hara, Trey Anthony and Ryan G.

[134] The San Francisco Department of Public Health published a news release called "Trans Care During COVID-19", which noted the higher proportion of transgender people with HIV/AIDS.

New York's Callen-Lorde Community Health Center considered extending HIV medication prescriptions and reducing in-person visits to practice social distancing.

[135] In Florida, several attendees of Miami's annual Winter Party Festival tested positive for coronavirus, according to event organizer National LGBTQ Task Force.

[137] In early July, a beach party on Fire Island reportedly attended by many gay men, received criticism for violating social distancing and masking protocols.

[138] American drag queens incorporated their performance into volunteering for charities such as Meals on Wheels amid the pandemic causing club shows to go on hiatus.

[172][173] In Orlando, Florida, a gay resort known as Parliament House announced it would close after 45 years but had plans for the future and would reopen at some point (as a bar-only location).

[179] Hosted by Michelle Visage and Tyler Oakley, the event featured performances and appearances by Allie X, Shoshana Bean, Betty Who, Greyson Chance, Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Todrick Hall, Carlie Hanson, Darren Hayes, Cyndi Lauper, Leland, Lorna Luft, John Cameron Mitchell, MUNA, Our Lady J, Nina West, Peppermint, Kim Petras, Matt Rogers, Troye Sivan, Pabllo Vittar, and Rufus Wainwright.

[183] Some countries in South America are considered extremely dangerous for sexual and gender minorities because of the high amount of transphobic violence and hate crimes.

[185] COVID-19 measures have brought new challenges to the LGBTQ+ community, such as a gender based curfew aimed at controlling COVID-19 cases, which has led to police abusing trans people.