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Supporting Young Lgbtiq+ People in Our Covid-19 Adaptation and Response

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Supporting Young Lgbtiq+ People in Our Covid-19 Adaptation and Response WALKING THE TALK: SUPPORTING YOUNG LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE IN OUR COVID-19 ADAPTATION AND RESPONSE Prepared with the support of: June 2020 - LGBTIQ Young People & COVID-19 Page 1 “BECAUSE OUR PHYSICAL SPACES ARE SO RESTRICTED, YOUNG QUEER PEOPLE HERE TURN TO THE VIRTUAL WORLD FOR COMFORT...BEFORE COVID-19, IT WAS ALREADY CHALLENGING TO MAINTAIN SOCIAL CONNECTIONS. WE HAVE NO SAFE AND PRIVATE SPACES.” The COVID-19 crisis is cross the globe, there are may not accept their identities, young posing increasing risks to increasing reports of LGBTIQ+ LGBTIQ+ people are at increased risk already vulnerable young people experiencing COVID-19 of SGBV, other forms of violence and related homelessness, food abuse, underlying health conditions LGBTIQ+ people. This A insecurity, health and mental health and limited access to services, as well briefing paper is for all issues, and violence. COVID-19 relief as economic vulnerability. In addition, – Syrian queer youth activist Plan International staff, to may not reach LGBTIQ+ communities; young LGBTIQ+ people and their rela- help protect and empower for example people who do not have tives are often not in a position to seek these young people by identification cards, who avoid those assistance due to the lack of mobility services due to fear of violence and and social capital, and with little or including them in our discrimination, or whose lived experi- no access to many social and legal response to crises and ences and needs are not understood protections. Because of lockdowns programme adaptations or addressed by relief providers. and increased social isolation, many across the world. informal safety nets are also out of With many young LGBTIQ+ people bounds, exacerbating risks for young forced to isolate in unsafe residences, LGBTIQ+ people. often with their own families who Page 2 June 2020 - LGBTIQ Young People & COVID-19 June 2020 - LGBTIQ Young People & COVID-19 Page 3 What is this resource? UNDERSTANDING IMPACTS ON LGBTIQ+ CHILDREN, This briefing paper focuses on the challenges faced by young people ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE who are LGBTIQ+. It offers guidance on how Plan International can address these challenges within the pillars of LGBTIQ+ children, adolescents and members, neighbours, and communi- tions which do not take account of the the COVID-19 response, and our com- young people are vulnerable to vio- ties) – as well as greater difficulties needs of sexual and gender minorities. mitment to all children, adolescents lence by family members and they are accessing basic services, like health, To mitigate this, it is important that the and young people under the gender often forced out of the family home. education, basic assistance, and legal needs of young LGBTIQ+ people are transformative programming and influ- They often lack important forms of support4. deliberately considered across the encing. The Adaptation and Response social support, including being unwel- Relief and recovery programs often four stages of crisis response - pre- Framework includes pillars on WASH, come in their local community or faith fail to take into account these pre- paredness, response, mitigation and Health (incl. SRHR), Protection, Edu- groups. Bullying at school leads many emergency conditions, compounding recovery. This will ensure that we can cation, as well as Community Engage- young LGBTIQ+ students to drop out, existing inequalities. Unconsciously, continue supporting the needs and ment and Influencing, including young resulting in lower education outcomes many humanitarian and development strengths of young LGBTIQ+ people people’s participation. As we stand and higher rates of illiteracy1. Mental programs rely on gendered assump- beyond COVID-19. with our communities beyond COV- health issues and suicide are also ID-19, now is the time to leave no-one more prevalent among young LGB- behind! This paper support teams to: TIQ+ communities2. Discriminations by HOW DO YOUNG LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE FIT INTO employers means that jobs are hard PLAN’S PROGRAMMING AND INFLUENCING? to find, especially in formal sectors, » Understand the unique needs, forcing many to fall into selling sex for vulnerabilities and capabilities At Plan International, through our gender transformative approach, survival. Many LGBTIQ+ people are of LGBTIQ+ youth during the we challenge the norms and beliefs that reinforce inequalities lived by highly economically vulnerable and COVID-19 outbreak. young women, girls and other vulnerable children and groups through- lack essential savings to cope with out the world. Young LGBTIQ+ people – who are also girls and young the economic effects of lockdowns. » Ensure the inclusion of young women – are extremely marginalised because of their non-conformity Public services such as hospitals and LGBTIQ+ people in COVID-19 to expected gender norms in the communities where they live. Our police stations are not necessarily safe response interventions and work in transforming societies means that we must tackle and address places; and LGBTIQ+ people suffer adaptation of programmes, in the gender dimensions and discriminatory social norms that affect high levels of street-based violence. line with Plan’s commitments to young LGBTIQ+ people’s lives. gender equality and challenging These multiple systemic forms of the exclusion of vulnerable discrimination mean that many LGB- children in society. TIQ+ people start and go through life at a disadvantage. These challenges intersect with other harmful societal norms, causing additional challenges for young LGBTIQ+ people who are KEY TERMS also girls and young women, or who have a disability, or who are part of DIVERSE FAMILIES CISGENDER refers to a person who e.g. a trans person being homeless instead of LGBTIQ+. This stands for other minority groups – for example, identifies with the gender or sex as- because of discrimination by potential people of diverse Sexual Orientation, being a member of marginalised ethnic Amongst the communities that Plan works with, there are families with signed to them at birth. Someone who employers against their gender identity Gender Identity and Expression, and or religious communities. Surviving the children who are LGBTIQ+, as well as families with LGBTIQ+ parents does not identify as trans. and/or expression. Sex Characteristics. It is a generally health, social and economic conse- and caregivers. Families with one or more member who identifies as broader, more inclusive term than LG- quences of COVID-19 will be much LGBTIQ+ may suffer discrimination and abuse from friends, neigh- INTERSECTIONALITY is a term used LGBTIQ+ refers to Lesbian, Gay, BTIQ+, because it captures the fact harder for young LGBTIQ+ people. bours, and the wider community. Parents of LGBTIQ+ children often to describe how different identities Bisexual, Trans, Intersex, and Queer/ that we all have SOGIESC. Please need help in understanding how to foster a loving and protective envi- interact with each other and may Questioning communities and peo- review our LGBTIQ+ page on Planet In times of crisis, discriminations are ronment at home. LGBTIQ+ parents often need support themselves, reinforce advantages, privileges, inclu- ple. Because LGBTIQ+ is structured HERE and view our Plan International often intensified against LGBTIQ+ including in overcoming the discriminations they and their children face sion, or exclusion. Factors such as around Western-centric language, SOGIESC video HERE! people3. Throughout the world, LGB- because of their identities. It’s important to remember that all families gender, age, ethnicity, abilities, sexual in many places people may instead TIQ+ communities are noticing an in- are diverse – and we help to embrace that by supporting LGBTIQ+ orientation, gender identity, expression use their own terms and language to SGBV is sexual and gender-based vi- crease in violence perpetrated against children, young people, and parents and caregivers in building inclu- and sex characterics are all elements describe themselves or their communi- olence. It refers to any act that is per- them under this pandemic (including sive environments at home! of who we are. As a tool for analysis, ties. Each subgroup of the LGBTIQ+ petrated against a person’s will and is by state actors, as well as from family intersectionality enables us to look at acronym experiences unique vulner- based on gender norms and unequal how these different identities affect abilities. The “+” refers to the fact that power relationships. LGBTIQ+ people a person’s lived experience. LGB- many other identities are not captured generally experience disproportionate 1 Richard, G. (2018). Summary Report of the Global Consultation on Inclusive Education and Access to Health of LGBTI+ youth around the world. Paris: MAG Jeunes LGBT, with the support of UNESCO. 2Almeida J, Johnson RM, Corliss HL, Molnar BE, Azrael D. (2009) Emotional distress among LGBT youth: the influence of per- TIQ+ people can experience multiple under the acronym itself. Sometimes, rates of SGBV because of their non- ceived discrimination based on sexual orientation 3 Edge Effect, Down by the River: Addressing the rights, needs, and strengths of Fijian sexual minorities in disaster intersectional forms of discrimination; the term “diverse SOGIESC” is used conformity to gender norms. risk reduction and humanitarian response (2018) 4All evidence used in this brief to frame the situation of LGBTIQ+ people under COVID-19 has been pulled from the following sources: Edge Effect, Impacts of COVID-19 on
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