Address exacerbated health disparities and risks to lgbtq+ individuals during covid-19

As of August 12, 2020, there are over 20 million confirmed cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) worldwide with over 744,000 deaths.¹ Due to existing disparities in health outcomes, the consequences of this pandemic for LGBTQ+ individuals could be magnified in scope and severity.² Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM), particularly those who inhabit multiple minority identities (that is, racial/ethnic minorities, immigrants), are already at greater risk for suicide, HIV, and unemployment, and commonly face systematic, institutional discrimination in the form of criminalization and other human rights violations^.3 Vulnerable subgroups, such as unstably housed or informally employed LGBTQ+ individuals, may struggle to practice social distancing and prescribed sanitation measures. The recommen-dations presented here are data-driven and informed by a cross-sectional survey implemented by the free gay social networking app, Hornet, from April 16 to May 4, 2020. Hornet has over 25 million global users, and over 4,000 users from more than 150 countries completed this survey.⁴ The most responses were from Brazil, France, Russia, Turkey, Indonesia, and Mexico; the largest number of MSM responses were from Brazil, France, Mexico, Taiwan, and Russia.