A study into the impacts of lockdown on Scotland’s LGBT+ community has found more than two-thirds have faced isolation and loneliness since the lockdown started in March.
The research, conducted by the LGBT+ charity Pink Saltire over the past 3 months, also found less than 1 in 5 lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people trust public services to meet their specific needs.
In findings which are to be released publicly this month, the charity is recommending significant investment from the Government and other funders to help meet the challenges raised in their latest report.
The research was conducted as part of the ‘Rainbow Responders’ programme, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, which aimed to improve the collective understanding of COVID for LGBT+ people and to build the resilience of the sector. Over 1,000 people took part between August and October, with a number of focus groups, workshops, surveys and interviews being conducted by the 6-strong team.
Stuart Duffy, Founder of the charity told us:
“These are deeply troubling statistics and findings from this comprehensive work and I pay credit to the team who’ve pulled it all together. Ofcourse everyone in society is suffering right now, but this study provides evidence that 66% of LGBT+ people have faced loneliness, rising to 77% of young people and 74% amongst our trans peers. The impact of this loneliness and isolation has a profound effect on our mental health too, and 63% of respondents rated their mental health as poor or very poor at worst during lockdown.”
“The impact is further compounded by this issue of trust in public services – if we don’t feel like our identities will be respected or that services will know what we need, how can we trust local councils, the NHS, Government or other service providers to meet the needs of this community? Where do we go? With services clustered mainly in Edinburgh and Glasgow, communities are telling us loud and clear that the status quo is no longer an option. They want services delivered locally by groups and organisations in their own communities and local spaces.”
An interim 30-day review of the LGBT+ sectors response to the pandemic was published in September, with research showing that a handful of LGBT groups had benefitted from Scottish Government funding totalling just £275,000, less than half of one percent of the £80million announced for the charity sector to respond to COVID.
The Rainbow Responders also provided some practical interventions during the 3-month programme, including leadership coaching and skills development aimed at volunteers who lead activity in their community. Building the resilience of activists, leaders, volunteers and teams around the country was a priority for the Rainbow Responders, and the project received a satisfaction rating of 4.7 out of 5 from users.
Since March, Pink Saltire has raised more than £150,000 to support their ongoing work, the majority focussed around hardship relief during lockdown. More than 450 individuals or families across Scotland benefitted from help, which ranged from shopping vouchers and mobile top-ups to PPE care packs and even books, but despite the threat of a second lockdown and a worsening economic situation, the programme has closed due to a lack of funding.
The charity will publish the full report and their findings online in early November – check out www.pinksaltire.com/rainbow-responders/ for more information.
