Trigger Warning: Mention of suicide

When the pandemic of COVID-19 hit India, forcing the country into a strict lockdown, the number of mental health issues started skyrocketing. There have been so many layoffs, salary cuts, and a rise in youth unemployment which has created a huge psychological impact in the country. Now, with all this, imagine being stuck at home with people who do not accept you for who you are, completely ignoring the “live and let live” formula. If you are a queer/transgender individual living in a toxic environment, you don’t have to imagine; it is much too real. The global crisis and the consequent need to maintain physical distancing has taken away the privilege of stepping out of home and connecting with families of choice, from so many queer individuals. This has further led to increased levels of hostility inside such homes which even neighbours won’t know about. Many queer/transgender clients in therapy sessions have expressed feeling invalidated, being dead named (the use of birth/former name of a transgender or non-binary person instead of their chosen name), and experiencing high levels of dysphoria (feelings of distress caused due to an incongruence between sex assigned at birth and gender identity), which has further made them feel anxious or depressed. In addition to this, there have been recent cases of people dying of suicide, which further acts as an emotional trigger among people who are living with unsupportive families/roommates. Staying indoors to maintain safety has become more of an irony for a lot of queer/transgender individuals who are feeling increasingly unsafe with each passing day.