Survey: Most Americans say companies should voice public support for LGBTQ community

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An overwhelming majority of Americans who do not identify as LGBTQ believe companies should publicly support the community, according to a survey from the LGBTQ media watchdog GLAAD.

In a report released Thursday, the official start of LGBTQ Pride Month, roughly 70 percent of more than 2,500 adult respondents who are not lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer said companies should support LGBTQ people through advertising, sponsorships and hiring practices that prioritize equity and inclusion.

“When people are exposed to LGBTQ people and experiences in media, it changes hearts and minds and shifts culture and sentiment,” according to a GLAAD news release Thursday.

“Measuring comfortability in media is a pathway to 100% acceptance for LGBTQ people,” GLAAD wrote.

Roughly 75 percent of non-LGBTQ adults surveyed by GLAAD said they feel comfortable seeing LGBTQ people in advertisements, and a similarly large percentage of non-LGBTQ adults — 73 percent — said they feel comfortable seeing LGBTQ characters included in TV shows or movies.

Close to 70 percent of non-LGBTQ adults said they feel comfortable seeing an LGBTQ family with children included in advertisements, according to Thursday’s report, and another 60 percent said they agree that seeing LGBTQ people in advertisements make them “more comfortable with people who are different than themselves.”

Non-LGBTQ adults who are exposed to the LGBTQ community in media are 30 percent more likely to feel famliar with LGBTQ people overall, compared to people who haven’t been exposed to LGBTQ people in content or media, according to GLAAD.

“Support for LGBTQ equality has reached an all-time high, but allyship must turn into action,” GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said Thursday in a statement.

“Media, content creators, and corporate leaders need to lead and respond to hate with undeterred support for the LGBTQ community, including LGBTQ employees, shareholders and consumers,” Ellis said.

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