As we hugged, danced, laughed and cried our way through this year’s GALAs awards on February 18 2020, little did any of the joyous guests think that it would be the last time they would be on a dance fl oor for months, and that we would think back on those hugs in the glittering Round Room with longing, and disbelief that our lives could change so quickly.
In the following weeks, COVID-19 quickly transformed our worlds and suspended or shut down so many things that we had taken for granted. It is hard to gauge the true impact of the pandemic on our physical and mental wellbeing and perhaps it is only in the fullness of time that the ramifi cations, on all aspects of our lives, will be known and fully understood. We are reminded by the LGBTI+ Life in Lockdown survey released this week that it is a challenge for all, and not least our own community. The research fi ndings from this survey focus a spotlight on the challenges facing LGBTQ+ people in Ireland from the immediate eff ects of COVID-19 earlier this year. It was conducted by LGBT Ireland, in partnership with the National LGBT Federation (NXF) and GCN.
The survey sought the views of people on the range of impacts of the fi rst COVID-19 lockdown, including mental health, physical health, home life, work and community as well as looking at the awareness of LGBTQ+ services, specifi cally those off ered by LGBT Ireland. The results of the survey are stark and worrying. Figures that jump out include over 62 percent of respondents reporting a decline in their mental health – signifi cantly higher than the 51 percent of the general population found by the Mental Health Reform survey. Over 41 percent of respondents reported a decline in their physical well-being. Six out of every ten surveyed said that COVID-19 had a signifi cant impact on their ability to interact with their community.