To kick off the campaign, Cosmopolitan.com/UK has created a new video, #AskMeThisNotThis, in collaboration with influential LGBTQ+ figures including Stonewall, UK Black Pride, Munroe Bergdorf and Charlie Craggs. The video explores the outdated and often offensive questions the LGBTQ+ community is sick of being asked.
As part of the project, Cosmopolitan.com/UK is building on its substantial LGBTQ+ content, with a new permanent space dedicated to the stories of self-identifying women and non-binary people that goes beyond the heterosexual.
Throughout May and June, Instagram and Cosmopolitan.com/UK will also host a series of Q&As broadcast Live on Instagram with other inspirational LGBTQ+ voices. The LGBTQ+ community has long used Instagram to express themselves and build communities of support, from individual accounts to popular hashtags such as #loveislove.
LGBTQ+ people still face a shocking rate of hate crime: 12 per cent of trans employees have been physically attacked by a colleague or customer in the last year, and 42% of uni students hide the fact they're LGBTQ+ because they fear discrimination. The Instagram Q&As will provide this community with the opportunity to tell their stories honestly and candidly, whilst allowing non-LGBTQ+ community members an insight into their experiences, says Cosmopolitan.