{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T10:44:03Z","timestamp":1792147443531,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,4,1]],"date-time":"2020-04-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1585699200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Journal of Psychosexual Health"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has threatened global public health. Travel has been restricted, economies slashed, borders sealed, and billions quarantined at their residences, in an attempt to contain the outbreak. Social distancing and lockdown measures have disrupted human lives in terms of social relationships and emotional bonds. Every individual is facing unique challenges to cope with these unprecedented times. However, certain sections of the population, like the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community, are particularly vulnerable to not only the infective risks of the virus, but also the psycho-social offshoots of the global lockdown and the pandemic aftermath. The various factors range from the immunocompromised state, increased comorbidities of sexually transmitted diseases, other chronic medical disorders and substance abuse, as well as reduced access to health care, to stigma and social discrimination, administrative apathy, economic constraints, and uncertainty of social rituals like the Pride Celebrations. These can lead to the underdetection of the viral load, increased physiological risks to COVID-19, decreased help-seeking, and inequality in health and legal care. Their emotional and psychosexual well-being also gets impaired, with increased risks for psychiatric disorders and suicidality.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>Keeping these factors in the background, this article glances at the disproportionate risk related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the sexual minorities, explores the psycho-social factors behind the same, and highlights specific ways to mitigate these risks for better care. Adopting a rights-based perspective for the LGBTQ community through public health measures during such crises can help reduce stigma and promote their social inclusion.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/2631831820939017","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,7,24]],"date-time":"2020-07-24T06:55:31Z","timestamp":1595573731000},"page":"113-120","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":95,"title":["\u201cThe Untold Side of COVID-19\u201d: Struggle and Perspectives of the Sexual Minorities"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"2","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8152-9798","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Debanjan","family":"Banerjee","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5632-1108","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vasundharaa S.","family":"Nair","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,7,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s12098-020-03263-6"},{"issue":"2","key":"bibr2-2631831820939017","first-page":"29","volume":"8","author":"Huygen C.","year":"2006","journal-title":"MedGenMed"},{"key":"bibr3-2631831820939017","volume-title":"Homosexuality and American Psychiatry: The Politics of Diagnosis","author":"Bayer R.","year":"1987"},{"key":"bibr4-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/bs5040565"},{"key":"bibr5-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/archpsyc.56.10.883"},{"key":"bibr6-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/0003-066X.62.7.713b"},{"key":"bibr7-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4103\/SHB.SHB_11_20"},{"key":"bibr8-2631831820939017","unstructured":"LGBT Foundation.\n                      Why LGBT People are Disproportionately Impacted by COVID-19\n                      . May 29, 2020. https:\/\/lgbt.foundation\/coronavirus\/impact. Accessed June 6, 2020."},{"key":"bibr9-2631831820939017","volume-title":"L\u2019identit\u00e0 negata","author":"Goffman E.","year":"2003"},{"key":"bibr10-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12916-019-1271-3"},{"key":"bibr11-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1027\/1016-9040\/a000169"},{"key":"bibr12-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dowsett GW. The \u201cgay plague\u201d revisited. In: Herdt G, ed. Moral Panics, Sex Panics. New York, NY: New York University Press; 2009:130-156.","DOI":"10.18574\/nyu\/9780814790847.003.0007"},{"key":"bibr13-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1089\/trgh.2015.0001"},{"key":"bibr14-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1521\/aeap.16.4.291.40401"},{"key":"bibr15-2631831820939017","volume-title":"Gender: Stereotypes and Roles","author":"Basow SA.","year":"1992"},{"key":"bibr16-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-2909.114.1.29"},{"key":"bibr17-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1540-4560.2007.00544.x"},{"key":"bibr18-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4324\/9781841697772"},{"key":"bibr19-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1300\/J082v11n03_03"},{"key":"bibr20-2631831820939017","volume-title":"Justice towards LGBT: Creating Space for Love","author":"Tripathi J.","year":"2018"},{"key":"bibr21-2631831820939017","unstructured":"Lathan C. Fight for LGBTQ rights is more important than ever during Covid-19 pandemic.\n                      The Print\n                      . June 6, 2020. https:\/\/theprint.in\/opinion\/fight-for-lgbtq-rights-is-more-important-than-ever-during-covid-19-pandemic\/435783\/. Accessed June 6, 2020."},{"key":"bibr22-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(20)30792-3"},{"key":"bibr23-2631831820939017","first-page":"1","author":"Sanchez TH","year":"2020","journal-title":"AIDS Behav"},{"key":"bibr24-2631831820939017","unstructured":"Thoreson R. Covid-19 backlash targets LGBT people in South Korea.\n                      Human Rights Watch\n                      . May 13, 2020. https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2020\/05\/13\/covid-19-backlash-targets-lgbt-people-south-korea. Accessed June 6, 2020."},{"key":"bibr25-2631831820939017","first-page":"177","volume-title":"LGBT Psychology and Mental Health: Emerging Research and Advances","author":"Richard R","year":"2017"},{"key":"bibr26-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ypmed.2018.05.014"},{"key":"bibr27-2631831820939017","unstructured":"United Nations of Human Rights.\n                      COVID-19 and the Human Rights of LGBTI People\n                      . UNHR; April 17, 2020. https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/Documents\/Issues\/LGBT\/LGBTIpeople.pdf. Accessed June 6, 2020."},{"key":"bibr28-2631831820939017","unstructured":"McKay T, Henne J, Gonzales G, Quarles R, Garcia S.\n                      The Impact of COVID-19 on LGBTQ Americans\n                      . San Francisco, CA: The Henne Group; 2020. http:\/\/nebula.wsimg.com\/b54504dc6c2f87e6373845bbec49b161?AccessKeyId=2FD98D6638BC9C7F6742&disposition=0&alloworigin=1. Accessed July 1, 2020."},{"key":"bibr29-2631831820939017","author":"Durso LE","year":"2012","journal-title":"Serving Our Youth: Findings from a National Survey of Services Providers Working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth Who Are Homeless or At Risk of Becoming Homeless"},{"key":"bibr30-2631831820939017","volume-title":"Stonewall: The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution","author":"Carter D.","year":"2004"},{"key":"bibr31-2631831820939017","unstructured":"Haynes S. \u201cThere\u2019s always a rainbow after the rain.\u201d challenged by coronavirus, LGBTQ Communities Worldwide Plan Digital Pride Celebrations.\n                      Time\n                      . May 7, 2020. https:\/\/time.com\/5814554\/coronavirus-lgbtq-community-pride\/. Accessed June 6, 2020."},{"key":"bibr32-2631831820939017","unstructured":"Herman JL, O\u2019Neill K.\n                      Vulnerabilities to COVID-19 Among Transgender Adults in the US\n                      . Los Angeles, CA: William Institute; 2020. https:\/\/williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu\/wpcontent\/uploads\/Trans-COVID19-Apr\u20132020.pdf. Accessed June 6, 2020."},{"key":"bibr33-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.24321\/2455.7048.202005"},{"issue":"4","key":"bibr34-2631831820939017","first-page":"207","volume":"18","author":"Saifu HN","year":"2012","journal-title":"Am J Managed Care"},{"key":"bibr35-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Rogers BG, Coats CS, Adams E, Development of telemedicine infrastructure at an LGBTQ+ clinic to support HIV prevention and care in response to COVID-19. Providence, RI: AIDS and Behavior; 2020:1.","DOI":"10.1007\/s10461-020-02895-1"},{"key":"bibr36-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajp.2020.102152"},{"key":"bibr37-2631831820939017","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/00224540209603899"}],"container-title":["Journal of Psychosexual Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/2631831820939017","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/2631831820939017","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/2631831820939017","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]],"date-time":"2026-05-01T00:52:37Z","timestamp":1777596757000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/2631831820939017"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2020,4]]},"references-count":37,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,4]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/2631831820939017"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/2631831820939017","relation":{},"ISSN":["2631-8318","2631-8326"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2631-8318","type":"print"},{"value":"2631-8326","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2020,4]]}}}