COLORADO SPRINGS — As more people choose to get vaccinated, more and more LGBTQ community centers are holding vaccine clinics to get shots into the arms of people.
LGBTQ community centers are often comforting for people seeking help in a trusted environment, with trusted people. Inside Out, in Colorado Springs, is that place.
Inside Out, is a non-profit group that advocates for LGBTQ young adults in El Paso County, They offer programs and services that help LGBTQ youth, learn how how to love themselves and their community.
On Saturday, the agency hosted a first-dose vaccine clinic. Anyone who wanted a vaccine got one. 50 people signed up for an appointment.
Organizers say it's common for people to feel uneasy about going to a regular medical setting. often doctors don't use the proper pronouns during visits.
There's also the issue of vaccine hesitancy. Experts say, online misinformation, and historical factors, like the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the 90s, could cause someone in the LGBTQ community to hesitate in getting a COVID-19 shot.
Inside Out was also able to put together a survey to measure the vaccine hesitancy among LGBTQ residents in El Paso County.
The survey looked at 194 people. 84 % of that group has received at least one dose of the vaccine. The vaccine hesitancy rate for those who answered 'no' or 'unsure' is 3% overall.
The LGBTQ community has also been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a study, people who identify as LGBTQ are more likely to contract COVID-19, and there's a better chance they knew someone who died of the disease. The study was published in February, by the Williams Institute, a sexual orientation and gender identity research center.
For more information on the programs Inside Out offers, click here.
