Heightened Coronavirus Risks Facing LGBTQ Folks
Over 100 groups highlight specifi c factors, urge best practices on government, media
BY PAUL SCHINDLER
More than 100 health,
social service, and
advocacy groups
serving the LGBTQ
community have issued an open
letter highlighting the additional
risks queer Americans may face
in the unfolding coronavirus, or
COVID-19, crisis.
The March 11 sign-on letter,
organized by GLMA (previously
known as the Gay & Lesbian Medical
Association) and fi ve other leading
advocacy groups, highlighted,
in particular, the fact that the LGBTQ
community smokes at a rate
estimated to be 50 percent higher
than the general population, and
is therefore more susceptible to the
respiratory risks of COVID-19; has
higher rates of both HIV and cancer,
both of which can compromise
the body’s immune system; and is
more likely to encounter discrimination
and unwelcoming attitudes
in the healthcare system.
In addition, the letter noted, the
nation has more than three million
elder LGBTQ residents, who
face a coronavirus mortality rate
estimated to be 15 percent higher
than for younger people.
“As an organization dedicated to
the health and well-being of LGBTQ
communities, we urge LGBTQ
individuals to practice measures
recommended by public health experts,
➤ SERVICES, OPEN & CLOSED, from p.4
clients know where they can receive
medical care without fear.
latinoaids.org/
LGBT Community Center,
Manhattan: Closed indefi nitely,
but the information and referral
team is operating virtual front
desks from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday
through Saturday at 212-620-
7310.
gaycenter.org
LGBT Network: Locations in
Long Island City, Hauppauge, and
Sag Harbor closed indefi nitely effective
March 13.
lgbtnetwork.org/
such as frequent handwashing,
to prevent the spread of this virus,”
said Dr. Scott Nass, president
of GLMA. “At the same time, like
our colleagues who joined the open
letter, we call on public health offi
cials to ensure the LGBTQ community
is considered and included
in the public health response to
COVID-19 based on potential risk
factors that exist in our community.”
“As the media and health communities
are pushed into overdrive
about COVID-19, we need to make
sure the most vulnerable among us
are not forgotten,” said Dr. Scout,
the deputy director for the National
LGBT Cancer Network, one of the
other organizers of the open letter.
“Our smoking rates alone make us
extremely vulnerable and our access
to care barriers only make
a bad situation worse. This letter
outlines simple steps to ensure no
population is further stigmatized
by a virus.”
The other four organizations that
spearheaded the open letter drive
were Whitman-Walker Health,
an LGBTQ clinic in Washington,
SAGE, or Advocacy and Services
for LGBT Elders, the New York
Transgender Advocacy Group, and
the National Queer Asian Pacifi c
Islander Alliance.
In addition to highlighting the
specifi c risks facing the LGBTQ
community, the letter also made
The LOFT (Westchester):Inperson
groups and drop-in services
suspended through March 31; peer
support groups will be carried out
online and via phone.
loftgaycenter.org/
Newburgh LGBTQ Center:Inperson
programs suspended until
April (no date specifi ed); virtual
programs will be offered.
facebook.com/newburghlgbtqcenter
Pride Center of Staten
Island:Closed through March 23.
pridecentersi.org
Queens Community House:
Programs are scaled back or temporarily
suspended. See a more
recommendations regarding government
and public health actions
and media coverage to ensure that
queer Americans are adequately
served during the pandemic.
The media was urged to detail
the way in which people living with
compromised immune systems or
existing respiratory conditions or
who smoke are at heightened risk
for contracting COVID-19 and suffering
severe consequences if infected.
Health experts contacted by
Gay City News earlier this week
said that there was no defi nitive
evidence of how the coronavirus
would affect people living with HIV
generally but were in agreement
that those who were not on antiretroviral
therapy or had not yet been
able to signifi cantly reduce their
viral load did face increased risk.
“It’s all based on level of immune
suppression,” Dr. Steve Pergam,
who works in the Vaccine and Infectious
Disease Division at the
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center in Seattle, said in a written
statement provided by Gay
Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC). “For
an HIV patient who is on stable
antiretroviral therapy and has a
normal CD4 count, their risk may
be slightly increased. People often
lump HIV patients with other immunosuppressed
patients, but HIV
is a different disease than it was
years ago. For people who have a
specifi c breakdown at the Community
House website.
qchnyc.org
Safe Horizon:Domestic violence
shelters and Streetwork Project locations
are open; other offi ces and
programs are closed, but teams are
working remotely. For a complete
breakdown, see the link below.
safehorizon.org/emergency
SAGE Centers across New
York City: Closed through the end
of March; all March events postponed.
Check the group’s website
for updates on food/ meals distribution
hours at different locations.
sageusa.org/
Syliva’s Place at Metropolitan
HEALTH
reconstituted immune system because
of treatment, I think the risk
is not going to be tremendously different”
than for those who are HIVnegative.”
Public health messaging, the
letter emphasized, should include
information tailored to at-risk individuals
and feature LGBTQ people
among those pictured in graphic
presentations.
Public health offi cials should
coordinate with community-based
groups within the LGBTQ community,
resources should be made
available to connect community
members to culturally-competent
care, and healthcare personnel
should be reminded of their responsibility
to provide services
without discrimination, the groups
signing onto the letter agreed.
People of color, transgender and
non-binary folks, bisexuals, and
immigrants are at particular risk
for disparate treatment — which
must be avoided not only for their
benefi t but also to enhance overall
public health — the letter warned.
Among local signers of the letter
were the Callen-Lorde Community
Health Center, the Hetrick-Martin
Institute, Gender Equality New
York, Princess Janae Place in the
Bronx, Westchester County’s LOFT
LGBT Community Services Center,
the Rockland County Pride Center,
and the Newburgh LGBTQ+ Center.
Community Church: The youth
shelter remains open, but is limiting
new residents to establish social
distancing. The group is giving
out lunch bags and light groceries
on a daily basis and hosting its
expansive grocery distribution on
Thursday mornings.
mccny.org
Sylvia Rivera Law
Project:Closed through March 30.
srlp.org
Transgender Legal Defense &
Education Fund:Closed through
April 1, but legal assistance and
meetings with clients will be conducted
virtually.
transgenderlegal.org/
GayCityNews.com | March 26 - April 08, 2020 5
/emergency
/gaycenter.org
/lgbtnetwork.org
/loftgaycenter.org
/pridecentersi.org
/qchnyc.org
/latinoaids.org
/sageusa.org
/mccny.org
/srlp.org
/transgenderlegal.org
/GayCityNews.com
