Seeking Solace
By Arturo Cena
Photos by Eder Diaz Santillan
With the world being shut down, and many services for people being put on hold , the LGBTQIA+ community struggles more than others to gain basic resources that everyone has access to.
The LGBTQIA+ community has endured a hard history in past years with mental health, financial hardships and other simple necessities that should be easily accessible. Obtaining these necessities have been exacerbated due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A report from a national poll from Movement Advancement Project has shown that since the pandemic started, 66% of LGBTQIA+ households have faced serious financial problems which include paying utilities, such as gas or electric, affording medical care, paying credit card bills, loans and other debts. Whereas only 44% of non-LGBTQ households have suffered financial hardship.
Medicare has been a huge topic now that the pandemic has started. Before the pandemic, healthcare was something many people who are part of the queer community did not have access too.
According to the MAP report the pandemic has decreased access to healthcare for many LGBTQIA+ people. Studies show that 19% of non-LGBTQ households don’t have access or have been unable to get access to healthcare during the pandemic, versus 38% who don’t have or have been unable to get access to healthcare in a LGBTQ household
There are not many institutions that assist the queer community with obtaining housing, healthcare and offering the support they need during a difficult time.
The Los Angeles LGBT Center is one organization that has provided housing and other services for queer youths, even prior to the pandemic. Erica Rodriguez is a clinician and residential programmer for the center. Rodriguez and her staff have never stopped working. The center found a way to continue providing their services for the LGBTQIA community and their allies.
“We had to put in place taking temperature, wearing a mask worn by all staff, staff getting tested, a lot of things had to happen for us to continue and provide the services for our residents, our youths and our clients.”
“While other places were shutting down, we were actually thinking on how to open up, ” Rodriguez said.
Mariana Marroquin, the program manager at The Trans Wellness Center, a location where they provide housing, health and other resources for queer trans youth, said that they have been forced to stop certain activities because of the pandemic.
“After COVID, after having many years of having support groups and people coming here making meaningful events, and other fun activities all that kind of things that make us feel that we belong are no longer available because of ‘safety,’ Marroquin said.
The trans community has been hit the hardest during the pandemic and most of all there has been a rise in mental health issues and homelessness.
According to a study from the National Center for Transgender Equality, 30% of transgendered people have experienced homelessness and since the pandemic there has been an increase of 88%.
Marroquin helps her community by referring incoming residents to shelters that are supposed to accommodate the trans community. These residents come back stating that they experience discrimination and harassment from the shelter’s residents, even from the employees.
With an increase in homelessness and mental health issues, they still manage to grow stronger as a community to help one another.
“When COVID happened a lot of people reached out and asked how can we help, and we were able to get a lot of donations and turn funds into cash so we can put it in our clients pockets because a lot of our clients struggle with unemployment and live in poverty… It was hard but at the same time it was beautiful to see how much people understand what is happening with the trans community and are willing to help,” Marroquin said.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order affirming that LGBTQ people are protected from housing discrimination in January 2021. This means transgendered people will be able to stay in housing facilities without being discriminated against or living in fear.
“They should go everywhere. They have the right to go there, they should be treated with respect,” Marroquin said.
Trans Wellness Center Program Manager, Mariana Marroquin poses in her Los Angeles office.
Program Manager, Mariana Marroquin and Staff member Karla Thalia Flores organize the Trans Wellness Center's closet.