What Healthcare Media Can Learn from The LGBTQ+ Community About Resilience  

(It’s not just about Pride Month.) 

When confronted with struggles tied to disease, there is much the general community can learn from the LGTBQ+ community on finding joy in times of hardship and the power it has in building resilience.   It is a resilient community where the AIDS pandemic continues to affect and take thousands of lives, the COVID pandemic upended community life, and where Monkeypox was battled.  We know what it means to be misunderstood, to be other’ed, and left behind. We know what it means to have our complex, fully-realized lives reduced to a single quality. Yet, we also know the importance of joy, community, and resilience when we embrace the thing that ought to alienate us.  

When someone is diagnosed with a disease, they are often entering into one of the most difficult experiences of their life where they will feel scared for the future.  They will want and need to find guidance, quality information, and medical support.  What they will also need is to eventually find ways to hold onto joy, connection, and friendship.  They will want to continue experiencing life and will shun being solely judged on any one part of their identity. In this way, a insight can be taken from the concept of “Queer Joy” where joy is used as a source of empowerment.  As stated by Dana Kaplan “It’s self-acceptance, community, power, and the vibrant celebration of identity. And it transcends mere happiness; it’s about finding authenticity and courage in the face of oppression. It fosters hope, resilience, and belonging.”   

There are also lessons healthcare media can learn from the LGTBQ+ community on how to center the human desire to thrive and tell stories of resilience and happiness.  It is important for healthcare brands and publishers to invest in community networks for people managing illnesses and create moments for genuine connection where people feel part of a larger group that can provide guidance when they are feeling alone.  People not only want facts around how to manage their future, but also emotional support and content that showcases how others have found happiness and peace in the face of similar obstacles.  Joy is a powerful feeling that creates resilience, and in the face of so much negative news and information, healthcare brands should not only focus on delivering the facts around a medication or service, but should also seek out ways to provide emotional support and create moments of joy for people.  Additionally, there is a clear link between a brand providing joy  to their customers and better business outcomes – as highlighted by Oracle research  “48 percent of people don’t believe they have a relationship with a brand unless it makes them smile or laugh and 41 percent would walk away from a brand if it didn’t make them laugh or smile regularly.” 

To help make the “power of joy” insight gleaned from the LGTBQ+ community actionable, please see below 4 key actions brands and healthcare media can take to support their customers in finding joy to build resilience: 

Change the Narrative – so much of the discussion around disease or disability is focused on suffering, yet so much of what people care about is finding joy and connection.  This creates an opportunity for a different type of storytelling when it comes to content and branded messaging where emotional support and creating joy are key indicators of success beyond just delivering facts and encouraging healthcare visits. 

Enthusiasm is Efficacy– Brands need to show up for their audiences as if they are enthusiastic supporters in helping them find joy when faced with hardship.  This means that brands should focus less on audience reach and more on creating quality online and offline experiences for people that make them feel engaged.  Some examples of this are testing opportunities in the sports or gaming spaces, investing in de-cluttered ad inventory, and ensuring there are budgets to reach minority audiences.  

Support Community – feeling a sense of community is paramount when people are confronting difficult times in their life.  Brands should invest resources in building communities that bring people managing a disease together to find connection, joy, and guidance. 

Provide Long-term Support – People don’t just want to be heard when it is easiest (ex. during Pride Month), they want to know if they have a healthcare problem at any time, a brand will aim to support them.  This means healthcare brands and media should consistently provide content that speaks to the multi-faceted lives people managing a disease have and how their needs may change over time.