Sampling

The LGBTQ population has been underrepresented or absent from empirical research in the social, behavioral, and health sciences until relatively recently. While there are many explanations for why this has been the case, a primary culprit has been the stigmatization of LGBTQ people as well as research about them. LGBTQ people have been a “hidden” population, posing a challenge for recruiting samples for participation in research. More specifically, given the diversity among LGBTQ people, sampling methods that are effective for recruiting from one population may not be effective for recruiting from another.

Understanding sampling is important because researchers and consumers of research alike must critically examine the degree to which results from empirical studies are relevant for understanding the populations that may be of interest to ...