RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond’s Office of Equity and Inclusion launched a first-of-its-kind survey specifically seeking input from members of the LGBTQ+ community who live in the city.
The office said the “Your Voice Matters, RVA: The 2026 LGBTQ+ Community Survey,” which was posted Monday and ends May 30, is part of Mayor Danny Avula’s action plan and one of his main pillars to create thriving and inclusive communities.
“What the survey is going to do is match what may be a gap. Where is the gap between what we're doing well and what we need to be doing better,” said Aneesah Smith, who was hired as the city’s equity and inclusion advisor nine months ago.
The anonymous survey asks “Overall, how safe do you feel in the City of Richmond as an LGBTQ+ person? (By “safe,” we mean feeling free from harassment, discrimination, or harm in public spaces and community settings.)”
“When we think about safety, we're thinking about housing. We’re thinking about food insecurity. We really want to know what is happening with our residents and how we can better serve them and partner with all of the amazing community organizations that are doing the work,” Smith said.
Watch: Full Interview with Aneesah Smith
Participants are asked if they strongly agree or strongly disagree with statements like, “I feel supported as an LGBTQ+ person by the City of Richmond,” and “I feel a sense of belonging in the City of Richmond as an LGBTQ+ person. (By “sense of belonging,” we mean feeling accepted, respected, and valued in your community.)”
Smith said she chose to move to Central Virginia from Philadelphia after seeing Richmond government officials lean into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion instead of away from those policies.
Richmond boasts a perfect 100 score from the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index that measures localities' stance on non-discrimination laws, municipal services, and leadership.
In 2020, then-Mayor Levar Stoney and LGBTQ advocates first raised the pride flag at City Hall and Avula has continued that event. The city also sponsors Pridefest organized by Virginia Pride.
“It's one thing to raise a pride flag. It's another thing to understand what your interaction with our city government is, what your interactions are with our businesses and how you feel safe — how you feel seen as you go through your daily life here,” said Virginia Pride director James Millner.
Millner offered guidance and advice as city leaders worked to develop the survey.
“The city doesn't know what it doesn't know about the LGBTQ community, and this survey is going to give it data. It's going to give it actionable work to improve the lives of LGBTQ people in Richmond,” he said.
Preliminary results are expected to be released during June, which is considered Pride Month across the country.
Virginia Gov. Abagail Spanberger appointed Smith to the state LGBTQ+ Advisory Board and serves as the vice president of Out RVA, a program of Richmond Region Tourism promoting LGBTQ tourism in partnership with community members and organizations.
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