What is the SMILE study?
The SMILE study is a research study to learn about the life experiences (including challenges and general wellbeing) of people who identify as sexual and/or gender minorities (SGM). It is happening in three countries: Brazil, Kenya, and Vietnam. “Sexual or gender minority” can mean people who are LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex). “Sexual or gender minority” can also refer to people attracted to the same gender/sex, or people who feel they are not the sex/gender they were given at birth, or people who do not feel they are male or female.
Participating in the study mainly means completing this 15 to 20 minute-long online survey. If you want to, you can also invite other people to participate.
You will not benefit directly from doing this research study.
History of the SMILE study
Since 2023, over 2,000 LGBTQ people in Kenya have participated in the SMILE study by answering questions about their lives and experiences via an online survey.
At this time, we are reaching out to some of those SMILE participants who have already taken the survey, to ask them to encourage 1-2 of their LGBTQ friends and contacts to join the study. As of 2025, you can only participate in SMILE via direct invitation.
If you are selected, you will receive an email or SMS text message from the study team with information.
You will receive a small payment (Ksh 130) for each new person whom you invite to take the survey (you can invite up to two people).
The new person who takes the survey will also receive a small payment (Ksh 265), and can decide if they want to invite anyone else.
Why should I participate in SMILE, if I don’t benefit directly?
Our goal is to collect data from as many LGBTQI folks living in Brazil, Kenya, and Vietnam as possible, in order to document the many challenges faced by SGMs and to understand how policies, programs, and services can best be created or adapted to help and support sexual and gender minorities living in your country.
Please help your community by contributing data about your experiences as a sexual or gender minority.
How will my information be protected?
To help protect their confidentiality, we will never ask for your name; however, in order to contact you for follow-up surveys we will ask for a phone number and email address, which are stored separately from your survey responses. Contact information will be kept private and will not be shared with anyone outside of the project.
