Synopsis

Understanding where gay men and lesbian women live is an important component of policy development, service delivery and research initiatives. This analysis proposes to combine different sources of survey data – including the ALSWH – with the 2016 Australian Census in order to produce population counts and densities for gay men and lesbian women in every suburb and jurisdiction. Specifically, by pooling survey data to calculate the proportions of gay men and lesbian women who cohabitate with their partners, it becomes possible to use Census data on same-sex partnered households to estimate the total population of gay men and lesbian women. The findings of this work will be used to inform policy, service delivery and future research by allowing a more accurate assessment of where these populations live and how community proximity influences factors like HIV/STI risk, health service access, and overall well-being among gay men and lesbian women.