As we continue to face the novel coronavirus pandemic, we’ve seen countless conservatives push anti-vaccine rhetoric. Some folks have argued it’s all about personal choice, while others say parents should make health decisions for their children, and others still say it’s no one else’s business if they’re vaccinated or not. Some folks have argued that policies at restaurants or businesses that ask for proof of vaccination are discriminatory (they’re not). And there are, of course, the people who full-out believe and push conspiracy theories about vaccines in general.
Vaccine hesitancy, however, is not a one-size-fits-all cultural experience. According to a new report from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), there are subsets of the LGBTQ+ community that have unique and under-discussed concerns and questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, as highlighted by LGBTQ+ outlet them.
The HRC released this report on Tuesday, and it’s being covered as the first of its kind. In this report, which included more than 1,500 American adults surveyed in July 2021, about 20% of folks who are undergoing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are concerned about how the COVID-19 vaccine could affect them. Similarly, about one-third of respondents who take medication for prevention or treatment of HIV said they were worried about how the vaccine might interact with their medication.
More than one-third of Black LGBTQ+ respondents expressed concerns about the vaccine impacting HIV medications, as did more than one-third of Latinx LGBTQ+ respondents. From other research, we know that Black trans women are disproportionately more likely to live with HIV and that new diagnoses most often affect Black and Latinx queer men.
About one in six LGBTQ+ adults surveyed said they feel very confident in the research that went into developing the COVID-19 vaccine, which is considerably more than the average non-queer adult in the U.S. That said, just over one in four Black LGBTQ+ respondents said they had a lot of confidence in the vaccine, and just over half of Latinx LGBTQ+ respondents did.
Interestingly, vaccine confidence varied depending on which vaccine it was. For example, less than one-third of respondents said they’re very confident in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, while more than two-thirds of respondents said they’re very confident in both Moderna and Pfizer.
According to this data, one in five respondents said they either tested positive for COVID-19 or feel confident they had it in spite of not getting an official diagnosis. More than 20% of all bisexual respondents, as well as more than 20% of all trans respondents, said they either tested positive for COVID-19 or feel positive they had it.
For trans folks in general, accessing basic medical care can be a nightmare when it comes to identifying documents (say, a photo ID with your current name or accurate sex) and verbal abuse from health care workers. It’s sad, but not terribly surprising, that this sort of barrier could prevent trans folks from getting the vaccine.
According to this data, more than 65% of respondents said they had to show a government-issued photo ID at their vaccine appointment, and more than one-third had to show an insurance card. 15% said they had to show their social security card. About 30% of respondents said they were vaccinated at a mass vaccination site, while 23% went to a pharmacy, 12% went to a mobile vaccine site, and 11% were vaccinated at a hospital.
In the end, only about 6% of LGBTQ+ adults say they are not vaccinated against COVID-19 and don’t intend to get vaccinated in the future. Of these respondents, the most common reasons given are that they don’t want to be forced to be vaccinated, they’re worried the vaccine isn’t as safe as is being advertised, and they worry about moderate or severe side effects. Some respondents are also worried about having to miss work to get the vaccine, possible issues related to immigration status, and concerns about future fertility.
Vaccine hesitancy, however, is not a one-size-fits-all cultural experience. According to a new report from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), there are subsets of the LGBTQ+ community that have unique and under-discussed concerns and questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, as highlighted by LGBTQ+ outlet them.
The HRC released this report on Tuesday, and it’s being covered as the first of its kind. In this report, which included more than 1,500 American adults surveyed in July 2021, about 20% of folks who are undergoing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are concerned about how the COVID-19 vaccine could affect them. Similarly, about one-third of respondents who take medication for prevention or treatment of HIV said they were worried about how the vaccine might interact with their medication.
More than one-third of Black LGBTQ+ respondents expressed concerns about the vaccine impacting HIV medications, as did more than one-third of Latinx LGBTQ+ respondents. From other research, we know that Black trans women are disproportionately more likely to live with HIV and that new diagnoses most often affect Black and Latinx queer men.
About one in six LGBTQ+ adults surveyed said they feel very confident in the research that went into developing the COVID-19 vaccine, which is considerably more than the average non-queer adult in the U.S. That said, just over one in four Black LGBTQ+ respondents said they had a lot of confidence in the vaccine, and just over half of Latinx LGBTQ+ respondents did.
Interestingly, vaccine confidence varied depending on which vaccine it was. For example, less than one-third of respondents said they’re very confident in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, while more than two-thirds of respondents said they’re very confident in both Moderna and Pfizer.
According to this data, one in five respondents said they either tested positive for COVID-19 or feel confident they had it in spite of not getting an official diagnosis. More than 20% of all bisexual respondents, as well as more than 20% of all trans respondents, said they either tested positive for COVID-19 or feel positive they had it.
For trans folks in general, accessing basic medical care can be a nightmare when it comes to identifying documents (say, a photo ID with your current name or accurate sex) and verbal abuse from health care workers. It’s sad, but not terribly surprising, that this sort of barrier could prevent trans folks from getting the vaccine.
According to this data, more than 65% of respondents said they had to show a government-issued photo ID at their vaccine appointment, and more than one-third had to show an insurance card. 15% said they had to show their social security card. About 30% of respondents said they were vaccinated at a mass vaccination site, while 23% went to a pharmacy, 12% went to a mobile vaccine site, and 11% were vaccinated at a hospital.
In the end, only about 6% of LGBTQ+ adults say they are not vaccinated against COVID-19 and don’t intend to get vaccinated in the future. Of these respondents, the most common reasons given are that they don’t want to be forced to be vaccinated, they’re worried the vaccine isn’t as safe as is being advertised, and they worry about moderate or severe side effects. Some respondents are also worried about having to miss work to get the vaccine, possible issues related to immigration status, and concerns about future fertility.