This project is a collaboration between The Love Tank and the Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society, University of Edinburgh. It has been supported by ESRC Impact Acceleration funding.

There is a long history of queer community activism and resistance to ill-health, injustice and health inequalities through direct action, lobbying, and arts-based work (e.g., HIV activism, LGBTQ+ rights). However, there is a major gap in knowledge about how communities cared for one another during the most recent global pandemic. The Wrap - a project between The Love Tank and The University of Edinburgh - asks what strategies of care and resilience queer communities employed to resist ongoing, emerging and exacerbated health inequalities in the context of COVID-19 in the UK. 

What do we mean by resilience? In The Care We Dream Of, Zena Sharma argues that 

 “'Resilience' is a word that gets tossed around a lot in conversations about LGBTQ+ health. It often seems to be conceptualized as a resource to be developed and extracted from us: people want to foster our resilience, promote it, understand where it comes from and how to create more of it.” 

Instead, she draws on trans and intersex scholar Hil Malatino, who suggests that we should think about resilience  “not about bouncing back, nor about moving forward, but rather a communal alchemical mutation of pain into possibility" (from Tough Breaks.) Sharma argues that queer communities have a long history of mutual aid because our lives and deaths demand it. Resilience, therefore, is not an individual property, but is shared and interactional. “We innovate to survive.”

Drawing on interviews with queer projects, activists, and communities from across the UK, The Wrap identifies examples of community practice and activist strategies that show not only innovation for survival during COVID-19, but the possibilities of collective queer care. The Wrap seeks to learn from and foster community exchange around queer resilience in the context of ongoing public health crises so that we may imagine and work towards the possibilities of survival, now and in the future.

We share our learning about queer resilience on this site through a series of short case studies, in-depth case studies, podcasts, and live events with community partners.

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Pink Saltire

Pink Saltire is an organisation that believes queer people of Scotland shouldn’t have to be in bigger Scottish cities such as Edinburgh to feel comfortable. They challenge public services, dismantle stereotypes, provide queer people with resources and skills to become activists, and advocate on behalf of marginalised voices, particularly ones from smaller and/or more rural areas. 

They are working on developing the first permanent queer space in Kirkcaldy, Fife, and have been consulting on another in Perth. Their services include filmmaking for young people, providing training, advice and support as well as community development work.

☹︎ PROBLEMS

As for most LGBTQ organisations and groups in the UK, COVID-19 created new issues for Pink Saltire and exacerbated previous ones. Securing funding for sustained LGBTQ work in Scotland was already a challenge. For Pink Saltire, 30% of their income had come from Pride events but it was cut off abruptly with COVID-19 restrictions. There seemed to be no support from the government initially, or even an idea of what support would look like at a local basis. As with many organisations, who were dependent on community activities such as Pride, art, and music festivals for in-person donations, a key funding stream disappeared overnight. This left many LGBTQ organisations, like Pink Saltire, left to find other ways of supporting communities and trying to keep themselves going.

When COVID-19 hit, councils and agencies appeared focused on what was seen as the immediate emergency of getting people to hospitals and providing meals because services were collapsing on a local level. Limited interaction with other charity leaders and workers also had a direct impact on several members of Pink Saltire staff, furthering anxiety about what was to happen next for the organisation. The real impacts of the pandemic on queer people in Scotland remained unclear. Lots of staff were put on furlough which, although it provided some financial support in the short term for staff, stopped a lot of the work being done. At a time when LGBTQ+ communities needed the support of those who knew them best, Pink Saltire was limited in what they felt they could do, and with more financial support, could have done more.

☻ RESILIENCE

For Pink Saltire, the impact of COVID-19 on queer people in Scotland was unclear; there was little information about how diverse queer communities were affected by and coped during public health restrictions. Pink Saltire sought to support COVID-19 recovery by finding out more about its impact on queer communities and sharing what they learned with the wider queer groups and charities, supported by funding from National Lottery Community Fund. 

Pink Saltire did this through a project called Rainbow Responders.  This project reviewed what services were available to identify the needs of LGBTQ communities, to understand service provision gaps and to identify how to close these gaps.  

They published an urgent review which detailed how the sector had responded so far, what services had been impacted, what funding had been secured to provide a response and how queer organisations were coping, identifying immediate priorities and reflecting on what the future might hold. For example, they uncovered the mutual aid work being done by organisations like MATE (Mutual Aid Trans Edinburgh) who found ways to support trans folks through grocery shopping, advice to trans health care and distributing masks and hand sanitiser. They also highlighted work by the Small Trans Library Glasgow who lent trans-authored books, hosted reading groups and set up a scheme to provide groceries and funds for trans people who struggled during COVID.

In parallel, they asked over 1,000 individuals to take part in their online survey. As part of this project, they spoke with LGBTQ individuals across the country, identifying what the specific challenges were and how folks were coping with COVID-19. Dealing with loneliness and isolation in the Scottish islands, for example, was alleviated by digital technologies and internet links that helped people to try and maintain connections with friends. Digital connections were essential regardless of rural or urban location. For those folks who were struggling with mental health, isolation and no access to services, some found that virtual group events allowed people to attend without having to turn the camera on but to see there are others out there for them.

Recognising the need to support those doing the work of supporting communities, they also invested in the mental health and wellbeing of 40 community leaders, organisers and individuals working on the ground. For example, they:

• offered leadership talks, webinars and individual coaching and telephone support,

• provided advice on funding, made financial and PPE contributions to smaller organisations and  

• ran zine making and zoom yoga sessions to help build and sustain resilience amongst community organisations.

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Open Barbers

Open Barbers is a London based community interest company and hairdressing service. It was inspired by the experiences of one of the founders who felt coerced into having hairstyles traditionally linked to a particular gender. They focus on creating a safe space for queer people of all gender expressions and sexualities and are known for a personalised, welcoming experience that is trans-friendly and supportive.

Recognising the need to support queer communities that go beyond gender-free haircuts, they offer additional services that are queer-friendly such as affordable holistic massage therapies, counselling and therapy sessions, a support group for queer, trans and sex worker meetings of Narcotics Anonymous and the social group Queer Knit London.

☹︎ PROBLEMS

As with many other businesses and organisations, COVID-19 caused the Open Barbers salon to close. For many who frequent the barbers, they lost an incredibly important and affirming safe space that offered more than ‘just a haircut’.  

In addition, some staff were unable to apply for universal credit, so Open Barbers provided financial support, but this reduced their own ability to sustain the organisation. When they did reopen, in between lockdowns and when they felt it was safe enough, it was necessary to stay open for extremely long hours so that they could earn enough to keep afloat. Although they had survived the lockdowns, the longer term impact meant they were unsure if they could continue to survive on a lowered income. The longer-term impact of COVID-19 and people falling ill also had a big impact on their organisations. Clients were falling ill with COVID-19 and were forced to cancel appointments. Staff members, or their children, also became ill, or had to self-isolate, meaning they were unable to work.

Open Barbers describe how their way of working has changed; before the admin staff used to be in daily to greet, guide and look after people but their role changed to them being based at home. When they are in the salon safety guidelines must be followed. This means, for example, wearing masks. Although wearing masks signals care for others, it also meant you couldn’t see people smiling and Open Barbers were worried this affected how friendly the space appeared.  

The social aspect of the space has changed; people used to socialise, work, study and apply for jobs in the space or just use it to feel free and safe but this had to stop. To comply with public health harm reduction measures, their way of working had to become much more rigid in which clients came for their appointment on time, have their temperature checked whilst wearing a mask, use antibacterial hand gel, are seen on time and talk as little as possible then must leave as soon as the appointment is over. The new way of working has had an impact on the atmosphere of the environment. Physical touch, such as touching hands or even hugging, was also something that had to come to an end, changing the dynamic of the interactions.

☻ RESILIENCE

Thankfully, Open Barbers has remained that – open. The salon managed to survive the complications brought on by the pandemic and they believe that they wouldn’t have been able to continue without the help and support of their community. Open Barbers understood the importance of their work despite the COVID restrictions and thought of innovative ways to replicate the way they cut, style and colour hair. They shared their own equipment (including COVID safe delivery) and ran online sessions on how to cut hair with stylists doing guided online haircuts. Once they were able to re-open, they had to comply with COVID-safe restrictions. Concerned about how masks provided important protection, but also had a big impact on communication between people who lip-read, they made masks with windows available for use for folk coming in for a haircut.

The impact of COVID hit them financially, as it did a lot of other organisations and groups. They had to apply for grants in order to remain afloat financially which became a full-time job in itself; it took months, it was very stressful and there was a limit to the number of grants and fundraising that could take place but they managed to do it! One of the things they did was to raise funds to support the people that worked with them during lockdown who weren’t eligible for government support (e.g., the furlough scheme). They recognised that a lot of people in queer communities aren’t employed in ‘typical work’ and that many were slipping through the cracks of formal support. They thought it was important to do more than the bare minimum and support the people they worked with and each other in the process.  

They also celebrated their 10th birthday party online during the lockdown. To celebrate, they ran a series of events, which culminated in a birthday party online with Bar Wotever. These celebrations and events recognised the work of Open Barbers and raised much needed funds through donated items (like Fox Fisher’s Hair has no gender t-shirt) to support the organisation that continued to be financially affected by COVID-19.  But they also invited others to talk about important health issues and resilience that affect queer communities. For example, they spoke with activists, former colleagues and allies about queer and disabled communities., body positive, trauma informed ethos in massage,  an LGBTQ safe space in the US and where to secure support as a trans person in the UK. 

The complications brought on by the COVID pandemic have disrupted a lot of the previous processes, but Open Barbers has managed to persevere. The difficulties around staff and clients becoming sick with COVID for example have lessened and staff came up with ways to both anticipate and to manage them. Although the way things are done are now different, they have managed to maintain safety restrictions at the salon while still offering a supportive space.

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The Outside Project

The Outside Project is a community shelter, centre, and refuge for domestic abuse for queer people who feel unsafe, homeless and feel like they are left out of available support services because of prejudice.

They provide housing, community spaces, and peer-led support. They advocate for queer rights within more comprehensive systems and services, promote health and sobriety, develop, and strengthen relationships with services that deliver support for the queer community and share knowledge to educate on the specific needs of queer people and homelessness.

☹︎ PROBLEMS

The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic created very specific issues for both the service users of The Outside Project and its staff. Many more people reached crisis point quicker than they might have done pre-pandemic. Relationships broke down, friends fell out with each other, and people were anxious and didn’t always feel they could trust the people they were around to be COVID-careful or safe. The risk of domestic violence increased, and the need to escape unsafe circumstances, including domestic violence, became more urgent, leading to an increase in people using The Outside Project. This immediately increased demands for support from the organisation.

However, there was no blueprint for this dramatic change. Organisations across the homelessness sector were not all responding in the same way and there was no clear procedure for organisations to follow.  It was also unclear what a COVID risk was and the implications for providing accommodation and support because of the lack of available and reliable scientific information. This meant increased anxiety for the organisation as to how they could best continue their work in a COVID-safe way. Learning from others and coming up with their own solutions, staff in The Outside Project found that this took a toll on both their professional and personal lives. In addition to providing support to those staying at The Outside Project, experiences of loss, grief and emotions were heightened due to illness, hospitalisation, and death of those connected with the project. This had a massive impact on staff, in part because these traumatic events happened ‘all at once’ in a short space of time, making it difficult to sustain a supportive environment.  Because they run a community centre, it has been challenging, relying on everyone trying to hold it together.

Staff were also completely isolated from those they supported. For example, they had to work with screens between them, resulting in feeling disconnected from a previously enjoyable activity. Navigation of shared space also had to change. The impact of actions and behaviour were suddenly not only limited to that individual, but to those around them. This could be difficult in a space where people were seeking safety and refuge. This meant that there was less leeway to provide space to people not following safety rules, such as wearing masks or social distancing.

Lastly, the pandemic made it difficult to move people on as options had diminished in lockdown. For the first year or so people couldn’t find new places to live which left people staying with The Outside Project for months even if they had enough money to look at privately rented housing.

☻ RESILIENCE

The Outside Project quickly learned that more was needed than a night-shelter in this new COVID world, especially as mainstream homeless services already didn’t adequately support the needs of queer communities. They changed into a service that provided 24 hours of support and transformed shared spaces into individual rooms, that offered refuge to those who needed it. They also started a campaign to ‘Make space for homeless queer people’ to help cover the costs of people moving into hotels. where there wasn’t enough space in their own premises. They ran a number of virtual community events, including Café Queero to support those who were really isolated. At the height of the pandemic, they moved from being a night shelter to a project that ran multiple services to support queer communities. 

The Outside Project had to learn quickly how to make their space physically safe from COVID-19. Although they had experience of this in relation to public health risks pre-pandemic (e.g., TB) and had measures in place, COVID-19 raised the bar. Where previously it had only been staff responsible for making sure protocols were followed, it now became a collective responsibility to ensure the safety of themselves and others. 

The Outside Project has grown a lot during the pandemic. They became very active in not only taking care of those using their services but raising awareness and offering support for people who might normally be abandoned or ignored.  For example, the project offered access to COVID-19 vaccinations when they became available and provided additional support such as no requirement for disclosure of ID, phone number or legal gender papers, a wheelchair accessible venue with a toilet, low lighting, free refreshment and a travel refund. 

Transforming from a shelter to an important community collective, the Outside Project curated an exhibition  - No Pride - that raised awareness of the impact of COVID and homelessness on queer communities. They continue to run events and support the physical and emotional needs of- and advocate for - homeless queers.

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The Wrap - reading, resilience and queer care

Join Ingrid Young from University of Edinburgh to talk about how queer bookshops, writers and readers contribute to queer resilience. Learn more about how community bookshops developed and adapted during COVID and beyond, and how bookshops are part of our queer community building and activism.

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