Living bold, loving proud: How the Kantar-DIVA 2025 report uncovers the experiences of LGBTQIA+ families

The 2025 Kantar-DIVA Report, launched during Lesbian Visibility Week, offers a powerful lens into the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people, especially those navigating life as parents. Now in its fifth year, the report spans 2685 responses from four countries:the UK, the US, India and South Africa, amplifying voices that are too often sidelined in the workplace, in media, and in society at large.

Safety and belonging from a cultural context

The standout insight from the study is stark: 1 in 5 LGBTQIA+ women feel unsafe in their own neighbourhoods. In South Africa, where gender-based violence and femicide remain alarmingly high, this finding takes on deeper urgency. The African philosophy of umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu (translated to ‘a person is a person through other people’) emphasises community as a cornerstone of identity and survival. But what happens when that very community feels unsafe?

To best understand these layered experiences across the globe, the report draws on Kimberlé Crenshaw’s framework of intersectionality toreveal how overlapping identities of race, gender, sexuality and class create unique forms of discrimination. In countries like South Africa, where race is still inseparable from any conversation about inclusion, this lens is essential.

Rainbow families and the workplace

Our 2025 theme, ‘Living bold, loving proud,’ puts LGBTQIA+ parenting in the spotlight, both for parents themselves who are part of the community and those supporting LGBTQIA+ children. Encouragingly, the workplace emerges as a relative safe haven, with more companies embracing Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies alike as a means of fostering belonging.

Still, the report finds that certain intersectional challenges like caregiving responsibilities and gendered expectations in the workplace often remain overlooked, so from our intersectional lens, LGBTQIA+ parents and carers indeed face additional layers of exclusion.

The cost of silence in difficult times

Amid political upheavals we’ve seen this year, inclusion is under the spotlight like never before, leaving many brands feeling exposed, with some retreating from bold allyship in favour of silence on social issues. But brands should not wait to be called out for quietly rolling back their inclusion commitments, when the moral and economic case for inclusive business practices is well established. . Dr Muneera Mohammed, a clinical psychologist and advisor to South Africa’s Department of Health, explains: “Employees notice the silence. If a company doesn’t take a stand, LGBTQIA+ employees may feel unsupported or even unsafe.” They’re then less likely to stay at your company.

Our report reveals that 21% of people have witnessed or experienced discrimination at a workplace or school in 2025, up from 19% in 2024. As many as 50% have witnessed this on social media, up from 48% in 2024. So, while social media is often celebrated as a space for connection, activism, and visibility, it has also become one of the most hostile environments for LGBTQIA+ people. And due to algorithm-driven content curation, social media can create personalised echo chambers. Just because you don’t see any anti-LGBTQIA+ hate and harassment, that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening at an alarming scale. Half of our respondents report experiencing or witnessing verbal or physical abuse on social media.

Steps for better social media safety

This issue is especially urgent for young people, whose lives are deeply entrenched in digital spaces. That’s why it’s so important for parents to have open conversations about online safety, digital literacy, and the emotional toll of social media with their children. Because promisingly, our research points to familial acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people growing over time. Fewer than two in five respondents told us they would have felt completely comfortable discussing gender identity with their parents or guardians growing up. But now, two thirds of respondents think their children would be supported by their extended families if they came out as gay, lesbian or bisexual. That’s a clear difference seen in just one generation.

This year’s special focus on safety in digital spaces was therefore the perfect opportunity for our Pride ERG to collaborate with our Parents & Carers ERG in putting together a guide on digital literacy for any parent or guardian.

Tips include gaining a better understanding of the digital environment, remembering the importance of reflecting before posting or responding, and building critical thinking skills. As a parent or caregiver of a teenager, your role involves not just protection but also empowerment as you want your children to explore online communities safely, develop resilience, and learn to advocate for themselves.

Brand bravery to boost your bottom line

This shift in openness matters for business, too. Kantar’s Brand Inclusion Index reveals 371 million people globally identify as LGBTQIA+, representing $3.9 trillion in annual buying power. Inclusion isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s a commercial imperative. Because the data shows that millions of LGBTQIA+ women are being let down by their communities, workplaces, and businesses. And while the community will continue the fight for their rights, it’s not their burden to bear alone.

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