Our LGBTQ+ Indigenous relatives on the Navajo Nation and across Indian Country are living resiliently today because of the LGBTQ+ people who came before us who fought for our right to exist. From the criminalization of our identities to the devastation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, we have come together to use our collective power to survive and to thrive with our traditional songs, ceremonies, and prayers. We also know from our history that those who are most marginalized are most vulnerable.
- Alray Nelson
Navajo Nation Pride

Our queer community was wholly ignored for years at the beginning of the AIDS crisis, and we saw where that led. HIV/AIDS devastated the LGBTQ community ... unhindered because of the government's intentional inaction as disrespect for LGBTQ people in our community. This is a time to pay attention to vulnerable communities, not just folks who are in the age range at risk of contracting COVID-19. We need to be talking about people with suppressed immune systems and those who need to be supported most in a time like this.
- Chris Hartman
Kentucky Fairness Campaign



As COVID-19 sweeps the world, hundreds of thousands of people have contracted the virus, and every community has been affected. The LGBTQ community in the U.S. — along with many communities around the globe — will face unique challenges due to its economic and health care situations.
Little is known about COVID-19’s impact on the global economy. In addition, the extent of COVID-19’s economic impact on LGBTQ people as well as the ways in which LGBTQ people are at increased risk of infection and health complications are mostly unknown.
This brief will summarize the ways in which COVID-19 could adversely affect the lives and livelihoods of the LGBTQ community at disproportionate rates.
As this research brief makes clear, in addition to the greater risk of health complications as a result of COVID-19, LGBTQ Americans are more likely than the general population to live in poverty and lack access to adequate medical care, paid medical leave, and basic necessities during the pandemic.