Visual Database for LGBT Rights

Equaldex is a crowdsourced visual database for LGBT rights. The site aims to crowdsource every law related to LGBT rights to provide a comprehensive and global view of the LGBT rights movement.

Visual Database for LGBT Rights

Equaldex, a collaborative LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) rights website launched today, aimed at crowdsourcing every LGBT-related law around the world. The site provides users an accurate and comprehensive global view of LGBT rights, with the use of maps, timelines, statistics, and historical data in each country and region.

Equaldex Launches, Aims To Crowdsource Global LGBT Rights Movement Data

Equaldex is completely collaborative; as LGBT laws change, users update the database, citing reputable sources for accuracy. Other users are encouraged to authenticate the accuracy of each update and the information becomes verified as site usage increases.

The site’s growing database includes a variety of LGBT-related issues for each region: gay marriage, serving in the military, housing and employment discrimination protection, donating blood, same-sex adoption, the ability to legally change gender, and more.

Data on Equaldex is structured in a consistent format, which is displayed in the form of maps, visualizations, and statistics about the LGBT rights movement. The site’s founder, Dan Leveille, is confident that Equaldex will become an invaluable educational resource and provide a comprehensive insight into how the LGBT rights movement is progressing and which areas of the world are falling behind.

Users are credited for contributing information to Equaldex, giving them an extra incentive to continuously update the site. Each user has a profile that shows contributions they’ve made, the amount of “accurate” votes their contributions received, and the regions to which they’ve contributed.

Leveille wanted to build a system that anyone can contribute knowledge to. Using a “discussion” page on each region, users can collaborate by sharing resources, discussing the status of the region’s laws, and helping each other research missing or ambiguous information.

Equaldex has already attracted over 300,000 unique visitors, even before launching. More than 4,000 users signed up for early access, many of whom are already contributing information to the site.

“Not many people realize that there are over 75 countries where homosexual activity is illegal,” says Leveille, “and in quite a few of those countries, the consequence can be life in prison, or even the death penalty. There are a lot of surprising facts regarding LGBT rights that most people are unaware of, and Equaldex will shine light in that area in a visual and compelling way.”

The site also pulls public opinion data from reputable global LGBT surveys and will soon give even more insight to the public’s stance on these issues and LGBT people in general.

Laws are just the tip of the iceberg for Equaldex. Leveille hopes to expand the site, and include more information about how the general public of each region feels about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues, “I have plans to eventually make Equaldex a resource for everything related LGBT rights,” Leveille adds.

Equaldex is being built by Dan Leveille, a developer and marketer based in Los Angeles, California, who started planning the site in 2009. Last August, Equaldex was launched to a group of Alpha Testers, which has grown to around 500 people.

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