LGBTQ teens are cut off from support networks in quarantine, so they're building community online instead
- Many queer and transgender youth have been cut off from their LGBTQ support networks while in quarantine.
- Both the Human Rights Campaign and The Trevor Project predict this could have a significant negative impact on their mental health. Prolonged quarantines could also mean higher exposure to housing insecurity and abuse.
- "What we experience is a rupture of a physical school community across our country, so that provides additional significant challenges for all marginalized kids," said Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, GLSEN's Deputy Executive Director.
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Darid, a 19 year-old high school senior in Philadelphia, is known for their bubbly personality, bright clothing, and vivacious personality.
But after going into quarantine in mid-March, everything changed.
Like many young LGBTQ people quarantining with their parents, Darid does not live in an environment that is supportive of their queerness.
Darid — who uses any and all pronouns — told Insider they've traded in their colorful buttons ups for grey hoodies and work hard to limit their expressions in front of their parents.
"I am not out to my parents yet, so I codeswitch a lot," said Darid, who asked to have their last name withheld because they are not out to their parents. "The way I act and express myself with my family is. completely different from the way I express and present myself with my friends."
Darid told Insider that this code-switching — or moving between how she wants to present her gender and how their parents expect him to act — wasn't a problem when Darid was physically going to school.
They could change into more colorful clothes in the restroom, be as vivacious she pleased, and find solace in their school's Gay Straight Alliance (GSA).
But indefinite lockdown at home means queer and transgender teens like Darid are cut off from friends and chosen families for the foreseeable future. Ultimately, this could create a mental health crisis among LGBTQ youth — especially for those in unsupportive homes.
Separation from support networks has been linked to worse mental health in queer youth
According to Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, GLSEN (formerly the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) Deputy Executive Director, GSA's like the one at Darid's high school play a crucial supporting role in the lives of many queer and transgender youth by creating a safe space outside of the home.
"We know that when school provides that kind of support young queer people thrive," Willingham-Jaggers told Insider. "Part of what is difficult about this COVID-19 moment is that what's needed for public health is people being physically apart from one another."
Both the Human Rights Campaign and The Trevor Project predict separation from a queer "chosen family" at school could have a significant negative impact on the mental health of LGBTQ youth — as prolonged quarantines could also mean higher exposure to triggers like familial abuse from unsupportive guardians.
A recent report released by the Trevor Project — the world's largest LGBTQ suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization — found queer youth might be at a higher risk for depression and suicide because of the negative impacts of physical distancing restrictions.
"What we experience is a rupture of a physical school community across our country, so that provides additional significant challenges for all marginalized kids," Willingham-Jaggers said.
Some teens are using Zoom and social media to keep in touch, but that isn't always a safe option
Some LGBTQ young people are staying connected by building community online.
While they can no longer meet with their GSA in-person, Maine-based high school senior Oliver Pittman — who uses he and they pronouns — is able to have regular 30-minute Zoom meetings with their LGBTQ student group once a week.
Darid also spends much of their free time checking in with queer friends via Zoom.
"I know a lot of my friends are not fully accepted at home and they don't have that space at home to be themselves," Darid said. "I check on on my friends a lot and see what ways I can be there for them."
Online spaces like Tik Tok, Instagram, and YouTube are also popular places for young LGBTQ people to connect and build community. #Trans and #nonbinary Tik Tok is a booming place for teens to connect, talk about serious issues like gender dysphoria and unsupportive parents, and have a laugh.
Some queer teens and organizations are even using social media platforms and digital spaces like Zoom to organize rallies in support of LGBTQ rights across platforms.
On April 24, over 8,000 high school LGBTQ groups across the country, including Oliver's and Darid's, tuned into GLSEN's 25th annual Day of Silence — a demonstration where high school students silently protest anti-LGBTQ bullying.
"I think a lot of people are building really strong friendships right now through quarantine and it's a testament to the resilience of the queer community," Oliver said. "Even in this trying time when there's uncertainty and people are sick and there's these racial and minority disparities and death, there have been people connecting."
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