Gaze: A Digital Tool Designed for the LGBTQ+ Community to Confidently Navigate and Interact in Public Spaces

Members of the LGBTQ+ community are often on the lookout for spaces where they can freely express themselves without fear. These spaces include LGBTQ+ inclusive businesses, events, community centres, and organizations that are active advocates all year round towards a framework that supports equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion. Many people in the community operate from a scarcity mindset. It is a mindset that stems from the lack of spaces and the inaccessibility and difficulty of finding these spaces. This research paper and creative artefact, Gaze, focuses on promoting safe and inclusive spaces catered to Toronto's LGBTQ+ population, making them easier to identify and navigate. Toronto is home to Canada's largest LGBTQ+ population, and throughout the year, this community celebrates its creativity and diversity through various organizations and events. The creative artefact, Gaze, proposes to design a mobile application that combines services relative to digital directories, social media networks, and wayfinding technology. The goal is to enable the LGBTQ+ community to confidently navigate and interact in public spaces that prioritize their safety and embrace and empower those entrepreneurs who create them. With Gaze, there is potential to reflect the true diversity of Toronto's frequently overlooked LGBTQ+ population.