Love in the Time of COVID-19

By: Riley Johnson, Executive Director, RAD Remedy

As many readers may know, COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus for which there is currently no vaccine available in the United States. But what folks may not know is that many state public health departments managing COVID-19 do not collect data on sexual orientation and gender identity, meaning there is minimal public health data available about the impact of COVID-19 on transgender people, including trans folks living with HIV. Like non-pandemic times though, trans organizations are able to provide an understanding of not only the ways in which trans folks are impacted but also how grassroots mutual aid efforts continue to sustain us.

Trans Lifeline recently reported that between March and July 2020, they experienced a 40% increase in calls, and that number continues to climb (Fowers, 2018). Outside of COVID-19, trans people already experienced mental health issues at nearly four times the rate of the general population (Wanta, 2019). In addition, trans people can face increased risk for COVID-19 due to several issues: trans communities’ higher rate of smoking - 50% higher than the general population (National LGBT Cancer Network, 2020) - access to care barriers leave us less likely to get medical care, and existing health disparities mean more of us live in a state of compromised health, which can leave us more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. Trans people also at times use binders and/or corsets which, while helpful presenting aids, can restrict breathing. Trans folks have also faced unexpected consequences of hospitals and surgical centers trying to cope with COVID-19. Transition surgeries have been classified as non-emergency and have been cancelled after trans patients have already waited months or even years, causing even more stress and depression. Trans Lifeline counselors also report many callers have talked of being forced to quarantine with families or partners who were unsupportive or abusive. Prior to COVID-19, many trans people engaged in sex work and street economies due to stigma and underemployment, and with the onset of the pandemic, many are continuing to do so to meet survival needs despite the increased risk of COVID-19 transmission due to lack of social distancing. And not insignificantly, many trans people are also reporting an increase in misgendering due to the use of masks for COVID-19, which, while helpful for prevention, may limit gendered visual cues such as facial hair and make-up.

At the same time, trans folks also have been targeted politically like never before, including a reinstatement of the trans military ban, an attempt to remove nondiscrimination protections in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act which would allow medical personnel to refuse to care for trans patients, proposed regulations that would all but ban LGBTQ asylum seekers, and proposed modifications to the Housing and Urban Development’s Equal Access Rule that would require trans folks who are houseless to stay in shelters associated with their assigned sex at birth. To be honest, dear reader, all of this oppression on top of the pandemic has been a bit much even for me.

So I began to ask myself - what does love and resilience look like in a time of COVID-19?

From a self-care and community care perspective, many trans people are looking after each other by reminding each other to unplug from social media and news cycles, to drink water and eat, and sharing quality goat and puppy content and curbside drop-offs of food. These small graces remind us that while the pandemic is ongoing and the world seems to be on fire, there is goodness, kindness, and adaptation too. Like we have for decades, trans people are still thriving and resilient in the face of uncertainty. On September 2, 2020, a federal district court issued an injunction which immediately blocks the Department of Health and Human Services’ attempt to allow discrimination against LGBTQ people on religious grounds. Grassroots mutual aid projects have also blossomed all over the U.S., including the TGNC Peoples COVID Crisis Fund of Louisiana, the Okra Project, and the Heavenly Angel Fund which assists Black trans women in getting tested for COVID-19 and provides care packages for those who have been tested. These are just a sample of the many efforts by and for trans people to uplift each other and help those who need it most. For a truly fantastic deep rabbit hole of mutual aid during COVID-19, check out COVID-19 Collective Care (http://bit.ly/covid19collectivecare). As Vivian Topping, a peer support facilitator at Trans Lifeline puts it, “Trans folks push really hard to support our people and be resilient. There’s still beauty. There’s still joy. There’s still a life to keep looking forward to .”

I’d like to leave you with a quote from Dr. Lourdes Ashley Hunter, Executive Director of Trans Women of Color Collective: “Every breath a trans person takes is an act of revolution. Everyday, you will wake up in a world designed to destroy you, invalidate you and tell you that you don’t belong and that you have to assimilate to be accepted. Everyday you will also wake up with great purpose to dismantle that shit. Ashé.” Breathe deeply, sanitize, and mask up, friends. Whether it’s a pandemic or policy designed to oppress us, we are resolute, resourceful, and stronger than we know. 

About RAD Remedy: RAD Remedy is a national grassroots organization dedicated to connecting trans, gender non-conforming, intersex, and queer (TGIQ) folks to accurate, safe, respectful, and comprehensive care. The Referral Aggregator Database (RAD) is a comprehensive and nationally-collaborative database that combines the referral lists of trusted community organizations and the detailed reviews of TGIQ clients. In addition to the organization's database activities, RAD Remedy provides community-informed policy and practice guidance and consulting to organizations, agencies, and individual providers looking to help TGIQ communities thrive. Donate to RAD Remedy.

References:

• Fowers, Alyssa, and William Wan (2020, August 18). "The volume has been turned up on everything': Pandemic places alarming pressure on transgender mental health. Washington Post. Retrieved online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/08/18/coronavirus-transgender/?arc404=true.
• National LGBT Cancer Network (2020). Coronavirus Information. Retrieved online at https://cancer-network.org/coronavirus-2019-lgbtq-info/.
• Wanta, Jonathan, et. al. (2019). Mental Health Diagnoses Among Transgender Patients in the Clinical Setting: An All-Payer Electronic Health Record Study. Transgender Health. Retrieved online at https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/trgh.2019.0029.

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates.