Local LGBT+ group to conduct Macau-wide survey

A participant at the annual gay and lesbian parade held in Taipei, Taiwan

A local association has commenced a Macau-wide survey to better understand the local LGBT+ community. Rainbow of Macau, the city’s first pro- LGBT+ non-governmental organization, said that the survey, the third of its kind, will help to refine its public services.
Representatives of the organization said that it was their duty to strive to better understand Macau’s LGBT+ landscape for a variety of reasons.
“It is our honor, mission, and dedication to supporting the LGBT+ community by providing representative and valuable data to non-governmental organizations, academics, the civil society and the government for better service offer and policymaking,” said the director-general of Rainbow of Macau, Anthony Lam, who is also a Macau Daily Times reporter.
Activist Jason Chao, who is the spokesperson for the group and project manager of the survey, said, “the voice of sexual minorities has long been undermined in Macau because of strong stigmatization. […] The survey will give the LGBT+ community a chance to express their concerns.”
The previous survey, which was conducted in April 2016, attracted more than 700 valid responses. The survey revealed that 6.6% of respondents had been the victim of domestic violence from their intimate partners. More than 90% of respondents considered protection for same- sex couples in the anti-domestic violence legislation essential.
Rainbow of Macau is inviting members of the Macau LGBT+ community to respond to their latest questionnaire. It has 47 questions and takes less than 10 minutes to complete. The data collection period will remain open until November 9. DB