A new survey explores economic, health & social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on LGBTQ people in the South with focus on transgender & non-binary Southerners. It’s based on survey responses from nearly 3,000 LGBTQ people in Southern states & is led by Gender Benders & Rooted Resistance with support from Kenyon College & the Campaign for Southern Equality’s Southern Equality Research & Policy Center. Austin Johnson, PhD, Research Director at Gender Benders stated, “This research shows how early pandemic setbacks put Southern trans women at a disproportionate disadvantage in terms of their physical health & mental well-being. As this crisis continues & our country begins to take stock of the long-term effects of the pandemic, with organizations developing resources to offset its negative impacts, we must always do so with this vulnerable population front and center. Organizations, policy makers, advocates & elected officials must ask themselves & each other, ‘How can we better address the needs of transgender women in the South?’ Solutions that care for transgender women will lift people across demographics & fuel more equitable policy.” Key findings of their report included that LGBTQ Southerners across the board report a decline in physical health & an increase in stress. The impact was greater for trans & non-binary participants who were more likely to report a disruption in healthcare or an inability to access necessary prescription medications. Nearly 20% of trans men, trans women & non-binary people report an affect on their access to care, double the rate of cisgender participants.
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