In 2019, Project LPAC released research showing that LGBTQ women were among the most Democratic-leaning groups in the U.S., and enthusiastic in donating their time and money to progressive causes. This year’s 2020 research, again conducted by Project LPAC with Lake Research Partners (LRP), delved even deeper on LGBTQ women and confirmed those results. LGBTQ women – a voting bloc of almost 6.7 million people* – are overwhelmingly Democratic, are highly engaged with the issues the country faces today, and above all else are superstar volunteers, activists, contributors, advocates and voters for progressive candidates and causes.

The survey shows that one key to tapping into LGBTQ women’s vast appetite for taking political action is for organizations, candidates, and campaigns to speak out on the issues LGBTQ women care about most – racism, healthcare, the environment, LGBTQ rights, gun control, and abortion access.

The data also demonstrate that LGBTQ women are not a monolith. Overall, they are more progressive and primed to take political action, but there are differences by race and age when it comes to how intensely LGBTQ women are motivated by issues. Notably, LGBTQ women under the age of 50 are most concerned about racism (42%), LGBTQ equality (26%) and healthcare (25%) while LGBTQ women over the age of 50 ranked healthcare (41%), racism (35%) and the environment/climate change (28%) as their top three issues.

When it comes to activism, the research shows that LGBTQ women and transgender women and nonbinary adults are nearly 20 points more likely than straight women to say they are interested in taking political actions such as voting, calling their representatives, signing petitions, and learning more about their elected officials.

Moreover, the survey found that LGBTQ women expect elected officials to address the issues they most care about. A whopping 79% of LGBTQ women want to see elected leaders take action to fight systemic racial injustice, 80% believe everyone should have access to healthcare, and 80% want to see the government take action to help people financially struggling because coronavirus and the economic crisis.

Finally, and crucial to this pre-election day moment, the research found that LGBTQ women are highly motivated to cast their ballot – more so than straight women. LGBTQ women and transgender women and nonbinary adults this election year are also more likely to vote by mail than straight women. Among all LGBTQ women the groups most motivated to vote are LGBTQ women over the age of 50 (90%) and LGBTQ black women (84%).

LGBTQ women are among the most civically engaged groups in the country, and quietly playing a critical role in our democracy. While they are not in the spotlight, they are in the streets, in the halls of government, and in their communities advocating for progressive change. Project LPAC’s research shines a much-needed light on this community and reveals it as an engine for progressivism in this country.