Phase One:
Phase one involves conducting mobile or “walking” interviews with LGBTQ people who are currently living in Perth County. These interviews focus on their experiences in Perth County, their sense of community in Perth County, their relationship with/to Perth County and their general sense of the area.

What are mobile interviews?

The purpose of a mobile interview is to have participants take the researcher on a tour of their neighbourhood, their street, their town, or any other place that is important to them within Perth County. As the interview progresses, the researcher will ask questions to further understand what participants have to say about places and what places mean to them. In an area like Perth County, it is possible that the places people visit on an everyday basis or that are significant to them are not within walking distance or that some folks are not able to walk long distances. Mobile interviews can also involve participants being driven by the researcher between locations.

I use the language of mobile instead of walking to indicate that walking is not the only way of moving around these places nor is the ability to physically walk a requirement for participation.

Phase Two:
Phase two involves conducting interviews with LGBTQ people who no longer live in Perth County. These interviews focus on their experiences while they lived in Perth County, their reasons for leaving Perth County, and their current relationship with/to Perth County.

This study has received approval from Western University’s Research Ethics Board.