LGBTQ and affirmative researchers at the University of Massachusetts Boston have developed empirically-based online exercises to help sexual and gender minority people with experiences of homophobia, heterosexism, and transphobia in their lives. (You can see our glossary of terms here). These exercises offer you resources to support your process of making meaning of troubling experiences, developing responses that feel right to you. They also further research to support the LGBTQ+ community by learning about the process of recovering from these experiences.

The exercises each occur over five days:

• Day 1: Take the initial survey in which you identify the troubling event and in which we ask questions to learn about your context.

• Day 2-4: Complete writing exercises, guided by our prompts. The exercises do not recommend any type of resolution but offer questions and reflective exercises that guide you to move toward your own resolutions.

• Day 5: A month later, you will be sent a follow up survey to reflect on what you have learned and what you thought about the process.

To participate in the exercises, you have to be LGBTQ+ and over 18. There are exercises tailored for LGBTQ+, LGBTQ+ autistic people, and for trans, genderqueer and gender nonconforming people as well as a survey for LGBTQ+ people who have or have had cancer. They are not intended for people who are in an active crisis and in life threatening situations or if another person is in danger (then don’t use this site, but go to your local hospital emergency room or call 911; you also can see our Resource Page to find crisis hotlines). The exercises are meant for people who are troubled by heterosexist experiences and want to develop responses to them.

Please only conduct only one exercise at a time, so please scroll down by clicking the button that seems best to you in order to learn more. We hope that the writing exercises support you to develop responses that work to support you with forms of stigma impacting your life.

LGBTQ-affirmative researchers at UMB are developing online exercises to help sexual and gender minority people with experiences of heterosexism.  Preliminary analyses suggest that most participants (about 90%) have found these exercises to be helpful. 

You must be LGBTQ identified, over 18, and have had an experience of heterosexism that is still troubling to you to explore.

To Participate:  You must be autistic (formal diagnosis not necessary), LGBTQ identified, over 18, not have a legal guardian, and have had an experience of heterosexism that is still troubling to you.

Online study activities: A brief phone screening, questionnaire on the first day, 3 consecutive days of writing exercises, and a follow up questionnaire.

Benefits: All participants will be entered into a raffle for a $100 gift card. If you complete all study activities (about 3 hours time across 5 days), you will receive a $50 gift card.

LGBTQ-affirmative researchers at UMB are developing online exercises to help transgender, non-binary, gender nonconforming or genderqueer people with experiences of transphobia.  You must be trans or gender diverse identified, over 18, and have had an experience of transphobia that is still troubling to you to explore.

We are seeking LGBTQ people who either have or have had cancer to participate in a quick 12-item research questionnaire to explore their experiences of homophobia, biphobia, or transphobia in connection with their cancer experiences. There is no direct benefit to participants, but learning about your experiences will help us to develop future exercises to support LGBTQ people who have had these experiences. Participation is voluntary. If you are LGBTQ, over 18 years of age (or the age of majority in your state), have or have had a troubling homophobic, biphobic, or transphobic experience connected to having or having had cancer, please click to learn more.

• Note: This website offers and develops resources and exercises for LGBTQ+ people who have experienced heterosexism and transphobia that is troubling, but who are not in crisis. If you are in a potentially life-threatening situation or another person may be in danger, don’t use this site but go to your local hospital emergency room or call 911. Also, these Crisis & Hotline Resources can provide immediate help: Click here.