Identity in quarantine: The impact on LGBTQ+ employees

Around the world, marginalized communities have been disproportionately affected by the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the LGBTQ+ community is no exception.

Now more than ever, LGBTQ+ people are more likely to become victims of domestic abuse, experience mental health issues, lack or lose access to critical healthcare, experience social isolation, and experience unemployment.

“We are facing a global public health crisis, and as in all emergencies, the most marginalized are at increased risk,” said Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. “Many in the LGBTQ+ community may lack the resources to effectively combat COVID-19.”

For many LGBTQ+ people, even the act of isolating in accordance with stay-at-home orders can be disproportionately stressful, as they’re unable to access the LGBTQ+-affirming safe spaces they typically rely on.

Of course, every individual’s situation is unique. Bloomberg spoke with LGBTQ+ employees around the world about how they’re coping and how their religions, cultural backgrounds, and family dynamics have affected their experiences living under shelter-in-place orders.

Religion

Engineer Daniel Cini-O’Dwyer was born and raised in Malta, in what he described as a near mono-religious culture that rejected LGBTQ+ identities. Moving to the UK, where he currently lives with his husband, helped him embrace his identity, but quarantine has felt like a step backward.

“Only after moving to the UK in my mid-20s,” he recalls, “was I able to feel like I am an authentic member of the LGBTQ+ community. It is somewhat ironic that, after vowing to never look back since leaving the socially isolating closet, I now have to isolate myself from my community all over again.”

Virtual connections have been crucial for Cini-O’Dywer.

“All of the Bloomberg D&I communities, run and bolstered by employees and their allies, have done a stellar job in keeping the community spirit going and I’ve joined a few activities hosted by various communities. It’s a great way to learn something new, plus virtual pantry breaks are a great way to keep in touch with those that I can’t bump into randomly in the pantry.”

One employee on the Global Data team in London comes from a Hindu background and lives at home with his sister, parents, aunt, and uncle. Not yet out to his family, he has struggled with being stuck at home.

“It’s great that, in these times of quarantining, I always have someone familiar who I can be with,” he shares. “But, at the same time, not [being] out as gay to my family has put me in a similar bubble to how I was before I began coming out two years ago. I was distancing myself from family, friends, and work just to avoid the anxieties of confrontation. Staying at home all the time certainly raises those levels of anxiety again.”

For him, seeking out virtual interaction has also been a lifeline.

“For the majority of my time at home, I find myself hiding my authentic self for most of my day. I regularly confine myself to my bedroom or go out for a walk as a form of escape. The regular interactions with the EMEA LGBTQ+ group and the immense resources that are available, such as Stonewall, have been extremely helpful with providing those short, and much needed, opportunities to be myself.”

Culture

In many cultures, there is still a significant stigma around LGBTQ+ identities. Globally, while social acceptance for this group has increased, areas of exclusion have become even more polarized. So, isolating at home may not be safe, or even an option, for some LGBTQ+ people.

When the lockdown began in Shanghai, Miao Cai from the Analytics team there, found herself stuck in Singapore with her family. Cai is unable to be her full self at home.

“I have yet to come out to my parents. The main challenge for me would be to really share my personal life with them so that they get to see this part of me as well.”

For other employees, living in accepting towns and cities has been critical to helping them feel safe while isolating.

Rita Dayana Leo Guzman, who works in on-site support for Latin America, notes that her neighborhood in Chile, where she lives with her wife, is very accepting and includes other gay couples.

“Our neighbors are always asking, how is your life, is everything okay, if you need something call me,” she says. “I know if I have any problems, I can get help from my neighbors.”

Chad Thomas from the news team also feels his city makes a big difference. “I feel very fortunate to be living in Berlin, in surroundings where it’s easy to be yourself and people don’t bat an eyelash – regardless of who you are.”

In lockdown and beyond, living in less accepting environments has been difficult for some.

UK native Paul Raben-Christensen now works in Hong Kong, where he lives with his husband Lance and two dogs. While he says he feels supported being his authentic self, he adds that the move from the UK to a less accepting culture was challenging.

“Now that I’ve moved to APAC, to a certain extent, it feels like I’ve gone back in time in terms of social attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community. It’s been a steep learning curve for me to understand the family and societal complexities for our LGBTQ+ community.”

Paul says he enjoys being part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) and Ally Community across the Bloomberg offices. Through this community, he tries to support colleagues across the world and help them feel that they can be their true selves at work.

Before the pandemic, Brandon G. Holden, from Enterprise Sales in New York, had worked hard to build connections with others and feel empowered by his intersecting identities, despite challenges along the way.

“I identify as a Black queer man from Washington, DC, who was raised by a single Black mother,” he says.

“I’m connected to the pattern and lineage of Black queer people in America who have had trouble defining themselves because there aren’t clear boxes for us to check. Nevertheless, reclaiming, in a way, this intersectionality has allowed me to turn society’s confusing blind spots into something positive.”

Staying in touch with friends and family has helped Holden while under lockdown. Things like FaceTime calls, letters, gifts, Spotify playlists, and funny YouTube videos are some ways Holden, like many others, has continued to connect with loved ones.

Zijing Wu from the Shanghai office says he was raised in a very typical traditional Chinese cultural environment. It took him a long time to fully accept his LGBTQ+ identity, where support from friends and allies has been pivotal in his journey toward acceptance.

“Friends and allies play an important role in this process, where I can show my vulnerability and ask for help. I am also the lucky one to join Bloomberg and can fully embrace the D&I culture. I am now way more confident being myself, as I have both the self-supporting system and support from people around me.”

During the lockdown, Zijing has struggled with loneliness. “Completely losing the opportunity to physically meet others does build up my anxiety,” he says.

Social media, he says, has been crucial. “I can’t definitely say there is a particular community I am linking myself to, but I am constantly reaching out to my networks and making sure that no one is an island in this special time.”

Family dynamics

Many LGBTQ+ people have also found themselves isolated in homes with family members that do not accept them, isolated from the schools, workplaces, bars, and community centers that once gave them the freedom to be themselves.

Others have found themselves unwelcome at home.

Deanna Hallett, who works in External Relations and lives in London, chose to stay in lockdown with her partner and her partner’s parents, as she is unable to go home. “I simply just can’t go home because I would be physically or emotionally abused in some way because of my sexuality,” she said.

While Deanna is welcome where she is, isolating with her partner’s parents has not been easy. “Though they are accepting of me being a girl now, they weren’t always…So, returning here is bittersweet because it shows how far we have come, but it is also an uncomfortable memory.”

Outside of Princeton, engineering data technology’s Wayne Irons lives with his husband and dog, Nicky. “We are fortunate to live in a part of the country where the LGBTQ+ community is pretty secure to live openly, and there are three other gay families right in our own neighborhood.”

In Shanghai, Merry Zhang lives with her partner and cat. She’s found acceptance with her family, but it wasn’t always easy.

“My parents were always open-minded about LGBTQ+ group, so I first thought my coming out would be very easy,” she notes. “However, as much as they are open about the community, it was hard for them to accept that their own daughter is part of it. The main challenge comes from my parents being worried about their social status, given they both work in traditional Chinese companies and live in a traditional community.”

Support from the chosen family is critical. Oscar Hyland, from Engineering in London, says he considers the LGBTQ+ community a second family because it is an incredibly diverse community united by a set of shared experiences, which makes it very easy to build and foster connections and friendships.

Hyland says he feels incredibly supported at work, at home, and with friends, but he has still worked hard to stay connected to his second family throughout the pandemic.

“I’ve kept in touch with numerous people from the BPROUD community throughout this time and that has been invaluable to me. We have also done a few virtual community events and have lots lined up for Pride month!”

Online resources and celebration

In response to the many challenges LGBTQ+ people have experienced, the LGBTQ+ community has been working hard to foster digital communities. Forms of support and celebration range from mutual aid services and remote counseling offered by community organizations to month-long initiatives like Proudly Resilient and virtual global pride celebration taking place at the end of June. For those in the United States, this article provides many useful resources. If you’re in the UK, you can refer to this list from Stonewall or akt’s support for the youth population.

Companies also play a crucial role in helping to foster greater understanding and support for the LGBTQ+ community — from empowering D&I Communities/Employee Resource Groups to actively build connection and networks, to developing robust training programs, events, and research that focus on breaking down barriers in support of a more inclusive culture.

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