LGBTQ+/POC communities find support from private organizations during COVID-19

In a matter of weeks, COVID-19 has changed the shape of daily life on a scale unlike anything we’ve seen, and it shows no signs of slowing down. As we all grow increasingly vulnerable, our marginalized communities once again face a unique set of challenges to get the support they need.

Last month, Amita Swadhin, founding director of nonprofit Mirror Memoirs, created a mutual aid fund powered by GoFundMe to support the LGBTQ+/POC communities — people who already face disproportionate economic and health risks.

“A lot of the policies that are passed to be a safety net to folks are leaving our folks out,” Swadhin, who uses they/them pronouns, said, particularly referencing trans and nonbinary individuals.

One of the biggest reasons they cited for these people being left behind in recent COVID-19 government relief efforts is that members of the LGBTQ+ community are more likely to be employed by gig economies like ridesharing, being a barber, bartending, or any other role where they may be paid cash and not listed on official payroll.

Employment in the gig economy can be beneficial for LGBTQ+ people. For example, it often provides a level of security that’s harder to come by in roles where being visibly trans or queer puts them more at risk.

Individuals who are self-employed are in similarly tenuous positions. “For a lot of self-employed folks, unless they have their own business… it can be very hard for them to access unemployment,” said Swadhin. “Our community is an incredibly vulnerable community that was already financially disenfranchised before COVID-19.”

Last month, President Donald Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act into law, both of which still have eligibility limits despite expanding states’ traditional unemployment restrictions.

According to the US Department of Labor, more than 6.6 million more Americans filed for unemployment in the week of March 28, 2020.

“In many ways, I think most of our community is at-risk — the families that depend on our services are being heavily impacted by the Coronavirus,” wrote Cilia Jurdy, the Development and Communications Manager for the West Seattle Food Bank in Seattle, WA, in an email.

While the Food Bank doesn’t track demographic data, she noted they serve a “very culturally and linguistically diverse community” and estimates roughly 14% of their average 1,300 families served per week include visitors older than 55.

“Many [of these people] are employed in positions where they are unable to work remotely, have limited paid time off, and cannot afford high costs associated with seeing a doctor or going to the hospital,” she wrote. “They are seeing their hours cut or being laid off as businesses close, and needing to provide more meals for their children as schools close.”

Financial instability has a ripple effect on other factors that already disproportionately affect marginalized communities, like strain on mental health.

Swadhin noted how visibly queer and trans individuals face additional risk of being turned away from shelters operated by Christian organizations with implicit gender identity or sexual orientation bias.

“The networks that you’re supposed to be relying on for care are your blood family and the state,” they said. “When you’re talking about the queer and trans communities, those are communities that are disproportionately not supported.”

Swadhin launched their mutual aid fund on March 13. Within 4 days, they received approximately 3,065 applications, largely from the US but also from Canada, Germany and other foreign countries. The average ask fell between $300 and $500, summing $2M in requests.

“What they are asking for is very humble,” Swadhin said, adding that many asks were simply for help covering daily expenses, like buying groceries or caring for elderly relatives or children.

The fund has raised more than $178,000 so far, 71% to its goal of $250,000. Once they reach that target, ideally by the end of April, their plan is to begin by distributing at least $100 to every applicant who is a queer person of color (QPOC).

When it comes to fulfilling donations, Swadhin faces additional challenges, like ceilings on Venmo and PayPal transactions and federal gift tax restrictions. These hurdles haven’t been a deterrent, however, and Swadhin has engaged a network of nonprofit collaborators to help perform direct deposits when the time for distribution comes.

“Queer and trans people have always looked out for each other,” they said. “Knowing that can be lifesaving.”