Educational Institutions and Challenges That LGBTIQA+ Youth Face During COVID-19 Pandemic

Nika Ferbežar, Mateja Marovič and Marko Gavriloski

Summary:  The paper describes the specific situation of LGBTQIA+ youth during the Covid-19 pandemic and presents guidelines that educational institutions can implement in their responses to reduce the impact of measures taken due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to young LGBTQIA+ individuals. As part of the qualitative research, we asked young LGBTQIA+ individuals about the situational challenges they face during a pandemic and asked them to identify possible ways that educational institutions can support school children in a particular situation who are marginalized and even more vulnerable due to their sexual orientation and/or identity during a pandemic. We found that the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ youth in this context are mainly related to the non-host environment and mental health problems. Even though some people have expressed open doubts about the ability of educational institutions to provide assistance based on previous negative experiences, we propose concrete solutions based on their responses that will lead educational institutions to a successful alliance. It is about understanding the specific reality of LGBTQIA+ youth, publicly advocating for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community and providing psychosocial support for the challenges of losing a (safe) home and mental health problems.