I am cut off from queer community

This is a time of loss and loneliness for many people, and for the LGBT+ community, the coronavirus pandemic continues to be just one of many threats.

Inequalities that already existed have ramped up for the most marginalised LGBT+ people, including LGBT+ people of colour, trans people and people living in poverty.

Kate (she/her) shared her experience as a disabled and chronically ill LGBT+ person.

How has your life been impacted by COVID-19?

I am disabled, chronically ill and long-term housebound. At the beginning of the lockdown, my ME flared and I have been bedbound since then.

I am a 33-year-old adult, living with my parents. I am extremely socially isolated and cut off from friends and queer community. This was the case before the lockdown (and has been for several years now), but it has felt even more intense during the pandemic. This has negatively affected my mental health and self-esteem. I feel very lonely.

My friendships have also been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. While I'm worried about all of the above, some of my able-bodied friends have travelled abroad on holiday, have not adhered to the government guidelines and are complaining about how difficult it has been for them to socially distance and stay at home. I understand this isn't easy on anyone, but I've been housebound and socially isolated for years.

Have you faced barriers or challenges accessing support?

Because of COVID-19, it was unsafe for me to attend the health centre for a blood test and to drop off samples requested by hospital specialists. I have also faced sexism and biphobia in healthcare settings. In hospital, I ought to be safe and respected, not objectified and placed in a horrific heteronormative predatory narrative.

I am a disabled bisexual. I am chronically ill and long-term housebound (even without the pandemic). This means that I am cut off from queer community and have not had the opportunity to make queer friends and connections. There are no services for queers in my position, who are not older. I am 33.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated my feelings of loneliness and isolation. I have been in touch with a number of LGBTQ organisations to ask for help and advice. Repeatedly, I have encountered ableism and have been met with patronising and dismissive responses. It feels like nobody wants to have anything to do with me.

Futher information

Find out how to be a better ally to LGBT+ disabled people and discover 5 LGBT+ disability organisations you should support.