The Alliance For Full Acceptance (AFFA) has partnered with the College of Charleston, the Community Assistance Program, the Joseph P. Riley Center for Livable Communities and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) to conduct a survey of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community in the Charleston tri-county (Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester) area.
The Tri-County LGBTQ Community Survey will be the first survey ever conducted to listen specifically to the voices of the LGBTQ community in the Lowcountry. The data collected will provide a snapshot of what life is really like for those who identify as LGBTQ in our area. The anonymous survey will include questions that touch on almost every aspect of a person's life, including social support, interactions with religious communities, family life, access to health care, interactions with law enforcement, mental and emotional health, and experiences of violence. Findings from this project will be made public in a final report in early 2019.
“AFFA is grateful for the opportunity to lead this exciting project and to partner with two of the leading educational institutions in the state of South Carolina,” Chase Glenn, AFFA's Executive Director, said.” In 2017, the Census Bureau released a statement saying they would not be collecting data on sexual orientation and gender identity in the 2020 census. Without the acknowledgement and visibility of the LGBTQ population, it is easy for policy makers and elected officials to ignore the needs of our community. Many people still face extreme discrimination and we are collecting this data in an effort to shine light on the lived-experiences of those who identify as LGBTQ in the tri-county area. Our hope is that exposing these issues will inspire program development and initiate policy change that will make a real difference in the lives of those within our community.”
“One of the most exciting things about this research is that, while intentionally place-based, it’s part of a larger movement to discover and compare the needs of LGBTQ folks through a geographic lens,” Ali Titus, Director of the College of Charleston Community Assistance Program, said.
The Tri-County LGBTQ Community Survey is now live at https://the-lgbtq-survey.com and will be open until October 20th, 2018. Responses are anonymous. Those who complete the survey can choose to be entered into a raffle to win an iPad.
ABOUT AFFA
Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA) is a social justice organization that strives to achieve equality and acceptance for the Lowcountry area LGBTQ community, through support, advocacy and education in schools, businesses and government organizations. Established in 1998, AFFA has over 1600 donor/members and is headquartered in Charleston, SC. For more information visit: affa-sc.org.
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Press Release