In May 2020, LGBT Foundation published findings from the largest and most substantive research into the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on LGBT communities in the United Kingdom to date. This research has uncovered some of the wide-ranging and profound effects the pandemic has had on the lives of LGBT people in areas such as mental health; isolation; substance misuse; eating disorders; living in unsafe environments; financial impact; homelessness; access to healthcare; and access to support.
Hidden Figures: The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on LGBT Communities is a culmination of the findings from our online survey, existing research on LGBT health inequalities, and our own unpublished service user data. Our survey found that of LGBT people who responded:
- 42% would like to access support for their mental health at this time
- 8% do not feel safe where they are currently staying
- 18% are concerned that this situation is going to lead to substance or alcohol misuse or trigger a relapse
- 64% said that they would rather receive support during this time from an LGBT specific organisation
- 16% had been unable to access healthcare for non-Covid related issues
- 34% of people have had a medical appointment cancelled
- 23% were unable to access medication or were worried that they might not be able to access medication