A collective of 21 LGBTQ+ organisations from around the world has come together to establish the Global COVID-19 Research Initiative on SOGI (GCRI-SOGI) to investigate how the pandemic has affected LGBTQ+ communities globally. As a collective, we have identified a need to generate insights that can clearly demonstrate the impact of the pandemic on LGBTQ+ identified people and LGBTQ+ led organisations around the world.
As communities, we have long existed within the context of inequality and marginalisation. Now, we are required to navigate a new world, where pre-existing inequalities have been and continue to be exacerbated by the uniqueness of the pandemic experience. In many cases, the challenges we face are also very context specific, depending on a variety of factors such as the political and socioeconomic environment, culture, and legislative frameworks, among others. For international human rights and development organisations, governments, civil society organisations, and donors alike, it is of utmost importance to have a thorough understanding of the current needs of LGBTQ+ people, communities and organisations if we hope to effectively address the impacts of COVID-19. In order to promote a robust response, we have commissioned a global study to explore these areas and develop outputs that can be used to better serve our communities’ needs.
