On March 11, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic and as of May 2020 the world is well into a global health crisis, with over 4 million cases worldwide and over 270,000 deaths.

While we know that this is a devastating pandemic, much remains unclear. We do not know how many people will be infected or how long the pandemic will last. However, we do know that those who are most marginalized will be disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, including members of the LGBTQI community.

For Rainbow Railroad, the situation is made more complicated as countries around the world adopt sweeping measures, including full lockdowns, imposing travel restrictions and temporarily sealing borders to contain the virus.

The fact remains is that we know that COVID-19 threatens to dismantle health-care systems in many of the countries that criminalize same-sex intimacy. Unfortunately, we also know that in some countries, leaders will use the pandemic to target the LGBTQI community.

We’re already seeing it in Uganda. Under the guise of lockdown restrictions, authorities raided an LGBTQI shelter and arrested 23 people on March 29. We know for certain they were arrested under false pretenses, and they are still being detained.

We are also seeing examples of leaders blaming COVID-19 on the LGBTQI community

COVID-19 has emerged as a devastating global pandemic, with over 5 million cases and 330,000 deaths as of June 2020. It is disproportionately affecting those most vulnerable, including LGBTQI Internally Displaced Persons.

Around the world today, more than 70 countries criminalize same-sex intimacy. In these countries, LGBTQI people are routinely arrested, denied basic human rights and are sometimes brutally attacked, tortured, or even murdered. This climate of fear that many LGBTQI people live in is exacerbated when states engage in crackdowns or campaigns that target LGBTQI people. In these instances, police or state authorities often conduct some combination of mass arrests, torture and imprisonment of LGBTQI populations.

In many countries around the world that criminalize samesex intimacy, small grassroots organizations and human rights defenders provide day-to-day support to persecuted LGBTQI populations. However, in the most repressive of states, these networks are virtually non-existent, operate in utmost secrecy and are often targeted by state surveillance or disruption actions.

On account of what might accurately be called an epidemic of violence against LGBTQI individuals around the world, many gender and sexually diverse individuals are forced to flee, or make the excruciating decision to do so. At times, people try to flee to safer locations within their country. But sometimes, they must cross international borders, often to countries that also criminalize same sex intimacy. Also, when LGBTQI folks cross borders, they become residents of refugee camps, where their safety is sometimes compromised due to climates of homophobia, biphobia or transphobia, often aided and abetted by local authorities. This means that many displaced LGBTQI people end up abandoning the camps, opting to live on the margins of society in urban centres.

Civil society organizations around the world and governments that promote and respect human rights have sought to address the plight of LGBTQI refugees in past decades. As a result, there have been important legal developments at the national and regional levels. However, COVID-19 has demonstrated that LGTBQI refugees and displaced persons are vulnerable to the negative effects of the pandemic, especially as borders are temporarily closed.

As a result of our review of the existing research, our experience working with at-risk populations since the start of the pandemic and interviews we conducted with human rights defenders around the world, we’ve outlined the specifics of this vulnerability. In almost every aspect, from livelihood to discrimination in healthcare systems to greater social isolation and anxiety, LGBTQI people on average are disproportionately impacted.

The analyses of our international partners, our own research and our experience of receiving requests for help has caused us to be concerned about the unique vulnerabilities of displaced LGBTQI persons and refugees during COVID-19. Below are three specific examples:

COVID-19 could take a foothold in refugee populations where LGBTQI persons are already uniquely vulnerable.
COVID-19 could lead to more crackdowns on LGTBQI persons, causing further displacement
Border closures as a result of COVID-19 could lead to the breakdown of refugee resettlement and a refusal to accept asylum claims.

As a result of our findings, we make four urgent recommendations to government policy makers.

Uphold the right to asylum
Resume the resettlement of LGBTQI refugees
Release LGBTQI asylum-seekers being held in detention centres
Increase resources dedicated to supporting LGBTQI refugees