COVID-19, THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY, AND PUBLIC POLICY The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated long-standing inequities, both in the United States and throughout the world. As studies emerge to help us understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on every facet of modern life, it is critical that the effect of the pandemic on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersexual, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) communities not be overlooked. While some pioneering studies analyzing the impacts of the pandemic upon LGBTQIA+ commu- nities have been conducted, and some efforts are being made to collect data which can impact the development of policy, reliable data resources are lim- ited to a few enterprising states, and this data has not been systematically shared with public policy-makers or with the public to date. COVID-19, the LGBTQIA+ Community, and Public Policy explores precisely how the pan- demic has affected these communities and what concrete steps need to be taken to ameliorate its effects. As the chapters in this book demonstrate, the unusual nature of the pan- demic has significantly impacted state and local LGBTQIA+ infrastructure, leading to the closure of some institutions and reductions in functioning for many others. The contributors examine the ways in which the pandemic has highlighted pre-existing challenges in accessing adequate health care (includ- ing mental health care and substance abuse treatment), employment, educa- tion, secure housing, and other societal resources. Together, these chapters present a state-of-the-field overview of health disparities in the LGBTQIA+ community and demonstrate the particular need for serious, timely, public policy interventions. Wallace (“Wally”) Swan, MPA, MAPA, and DPA, (he/him) has taught public policy, administrative ethics, public and non-profit finance and organ- ization theory at Western International University, University of St. Thomas, Metropolitan State University, Nova Southeastern University, and has served on the faculty of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. He is currently a Contributing Faculty Member in the Master’s and Doctoral programs at Walden University and has served as an Adjunct Instructor at Hamline University. He has held city-wide elected office at the Minneap- olis Board of Estimate and Taxation and is currently a member of the board of the LGBT Advocacy Action Section of the American Society for Public Administration. COVID-19, THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY, AND PUBLIC POLICY Edited by Wallace Swan Cover image: chuchart duangdaw, Getty Images First published 2023 by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 and by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Wallace Swan; individual chapters, the contributors The right of Wallace Swan to be identified as the author of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. ISBN: 978-1-032-21960-8 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-21958-5 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-27071-3 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/b23162 Typeset in Bembo by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. CONTENTS Foreword ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xvii Contributor Biographies xix 1 An International Pandemic, Misinformation, and Policy Harms 1 Christopher R. Surfus 2 The Policy Process 18 Wallace Swan 3 The Civic Culture Reconfigured 29 Wallace Swan 4 LGBTQIA Issues Facing the New Administration: Employment, Medical Care, Personal Finances, and Hunger 35 Lorenda A. Naylor 5 Impacts of the Pandemic on the Most Vulnerable Subsectors of the LGBTQ Community 60 Al C. Johnson-Manning 6 Jobs for the LGBTQ Community 75 Wallace Swan vi Contents 7 Immigration, COVID-19, and the LGBTQIA Community 79 Wallace Swan 8 LGBTQ+ Mental Health and COVID-19 83 Wallace Swan 9 COVID-19 and the Impact on LGBT Disabled Americans 92 Christopher R. Surfus 10 Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the LGBTQ Prison Population 99 Dallas S. Drake 11 COVID-19 and Substance Use among LGBTQ+ People 123 Claire M. Burgess, Ankur Srivastava, and Abigail W. Batchelder 12 American and Canadian Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on LGBTQIA Businesses 133 Wallace Swan 13 The Pandemic’s Impact on LGBTQIA+ Centers and Service Organizations 136 Al C. Johnson-Manning 14 The LGBTQIA Community Effort to Define SOGI: A State-by-State Summary of Data Collection 158 Wallace Swan 15 From SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) Data Collection to Vaccine Promotion: The Journey of LGBTQ+ Health Activism during COVID-19 168 Adrian Shanker 16 The Minnesota Experience 174 Jeremy Hanson Willis 17 Utilizing State-Level Risk Factor Data to Analyze COVID-19 Risk and Impact among LGBTQI+ Pennsylvanians 177 Christina J. Graham, Jennifer D. Keith, Adrian Shanker, Mara Aussendorf, and Katie Suppes Contents vii 18 Impacts of the Pandemic on African American, Latino, Asian American/Pacific Islander LGBTQ Populations 185 Dallas S. Drake and Wallace Swan 19 Arm in Arm: LGBTQ+ COVID-19 Vaccine Equity and Coalition-Building 200 Kaylin C. Gray and Mardell J. Moore 20 Representative Bureaucracy as a Tool for Addressing LGBTQ Inequities Highlighted by the Pandemic 222 Jennifer Hooker 21 Public Health Care Policy Needs More Than a Vaccine 235 Paula Overby 22 Reclaiming our Time: From Discrimination to Dignity 265 Christopher R. Surfus Epilogue: A Fault Line in American Public Health: From AIDS to COVID-19, to Monkeypox 273 Conclusion 275 Wallace Swan Appendix 1: LGBTQ Youth/Adults and Homelessness in the Time of COVID-19 279 Wallace Swan Appendix 2: Effects of COVID-19 on Twin Cities LGBTQIA+ Businesses 283 Wallace Swan Appendix 3: LGBTQ Non-Profit Sustainability during COVID-19 (Webinar) 288 Wallace Swan Appendix 4: Wallace Swan and Associates: Accurate Info for Government Policy 290 Wallace Swan viii Contents Appendix 5: State and Territory Questionnaire Letter 291 Wallace Swan Appendix 6: Tabulation of Questionnaire Responses 293 Wallace Swan Appendix 7: Racial, Ethnic, and SOGI Section of Oregon COVID-19 Data Form 295 FOREWORD I first met Dr. Swan at the 1994 annual conference of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) in Kansas City, Missouri. Dr. Lorenda A. Naylor (2021) thanked Swan and acknowledged his impact on the field of public administration in her groundbreaking book, Social Equity and LGBTQ Rights. She noted Swan’s contributions to literature in the area of sexual ori- entation and gender, including his 1995 ASPA publication, Breaking the Silence: Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues in Public Administration, which was the first book on this subject published in the field of American public administra- tion. He has subsequently edited five leading public policy and administra- tion LGBTQ+ texts. Amidst a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era, Swan did not remain silent. He asked difficult questions and told his public administration colleagues to pay attention. In addition to his work on LGBTQ+ issues, his contributions to the fields of public administration and human services have also been significant since he has had authored 4 chapters, participated in 7 national and international proceedings, written 15 articles (including four encyclopedia articles on ethics and leadership), and presented on 44 panels in the United States, South Africa, India, Australia, and China (including 11 where he was the moderator or chair). At that 1994 conference, Swan scheduled an open meeting for gay, lesbian, and bisexual attendees, which involved chairing the first American public administration panel on the subject of LGBTQ+ issues, something unprece- dented during that era. A few years later, he ran as an openly gay candidate for ASPA national vice president, and although he lost in a three-person race, he continually was raising LGBTQ+ visibility—including spearheading an effort to establish an ASPA LGBT section (which did not succeed because a sufficient