By David Paisley–
Community Marketing & Insights (CMI) is an LGBTQ+ owned and operated research firm that has been providing research assistance to nonprofits, government entities, universities, and leading corporations for over 30 years. Over the decades, our team has produced more than 500 LGBTQ-specific research studies across many topics. Ultimately, the data comes from the participation of our LGBTQ+ research panel, made up of over 50,000 diverse LGBTQ+ community members in the United States. Our panel has developed through partnerships with hundreds of LGBTQ+ publications, websites, blogs, influencers, social media, apps, events, and organizations. Many panel members have been making their voices known on the panel for decades.
As individuals, coming out has had a powerful, positive impact. It is probably the single most important change that forced non-LGBTQ+ people to understand their loved ones and evaluate their own prejudices. Harvey Milk said it best, “Every gay person must come out. As difficult as it is, you must tell your immediate family. You must tell your relatives. You must tell your friends if indeed they are your friends. You must tell the people you work with. You must tell the people in the stores you shop in. Once they realize that we are indeed their children, that we are indeed everywhere, every myth, every lie, every innuendo will be destroyed once and all.”
LGBTQ+ research works in the same way, but on a community-wide scale. LGBTQ+ research has allowed us to come out as a group, as well as various demographic groups within LGBTQ+, so everyone can understand our community better.
In the past 30 years, we have watched steady progress for LGBTQ+ civil rights. Not every law or event has been positive; many recent laws have been punitive, and at times, our community has faced harassment or violence. But overall, we have made remarkable progress in recent decades.
However, recent backlash threatens our gains, and the act of speaking up and coming out, both as individuals and on a community-wide level, is more important than ever.
From an LGBTQ+ research perspective, we live in a time when many people feel surveyed to death. The development of easy-to-use digital survey platforms has enabled government, corporations, small businesses, educational institutions, and individuals to easily create and send endless surveys. This has resulted in survey fatigue, and the response rate to all surveys has been decreasing.
But it is more important than ever that we make both our individual and community voices known. So, the next time you receive a survey about any issue important to the community, speak out and let your voice be heard. Your response matters, because it influences laws, policies, hiring, employment benefits, and so much more. It also favorably influences sponsorship and advertising dollars that assist our LGBTQ+ nonprofits and media. LGBTQ+ research has and continues to open minds and hearts around the world.
David Paisley is the Senior Research Director of Community Marketing & Insights, https://cmi.info/
STAND UP. BE COUNTED.
Published on January 11, 2024
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