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OutRight Launches COVID-19 Response

Woman Wearing COVID-19 Mask

Channel new grantee OutRight Action International is responding quickly to COVID-19 and has launched a new emergency fund and a new report on the particular vulnerabilities of LGBTIQ people during the coronavirus crisis.

Recognizing inequities in how governments have responded to the coronavirus crisis, OutRight created an emergency fund for organizations that are providing basic needs and services to LGBTIQ people around the world during the global pandemic.

In early May, OutRight gave 57 emergency fund grants totaling $400,000 to organizations from 45 countries around the world. Applications were received from sub-Saharan Africa; Latin America; Asia; the Pacific Islands; the Middle East and North Africa; the Caribbean; and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The grants were largely in support of helping LGBTIQ people access food, medical services, and shelter.

OutRight has also released an important new report, “Vulnerability Amplified: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on LGBTIQ People.” Drawing on almost 60 rapid research interviews conducted with LGBTIQ people in all regions of the world, the report overwhelmingly shows that the challenges faced by LGBTIQ people as a result of the virus and surrounding containment measures are specific and amplified compared to the broader population.

The challenges faced by LGBTIQ people include: devastation of livelihoods, disruptions in accessing health care, elevated risk of domestic and family violence; social isolation and increased anxiety; scapegoating, societal discrimination and stigma; abuse of state power; and concerns about LGBTIQ organizational survival.