It’s been a month since we launched Queering Cancer!
We’ve been thrilled by the reaction from patients, healthcare professionals, and the media. Meghan, Evan, and Amanda (the QC founders) have been hard at work doing interviews, keeping the site safe from trolls and bots, and starting to plan for the next phase of QC. We’re paying a visit to them to see what their impressions were about the last few weeks, what surprised them, and what they are excited about for the future.
Amanda: I think my main impression was “wow”! I was surprised how much interest there was, particularly from the media. Our partner Bird Communications put together a press release and contacted some key people which resulted in several interviews for all of us leading up to and after the launch. What surprised me was that everyone who interviewed us wanted statistics and details about the health inequities faced by LGBTQ2+ people with cancer. It made me realize that the three of us live in a bit of a bubble because this is our research focus. We still need to do the groundwork with many people to help them understand. We’ve also had a lot of requests for education – that’s not our main focus but we’re hoping to put together a page of resources for healthcare professionals on our site in the near future.
Evan: What a great month it’s been for Queering Cancer! I had to jump completely out of my comfort zone and I have learned so much about social media, news media, community media, online traffic data, and so much more. When we first conceptualized this project, we had no idea that we would be living and working in this virtual environment! My biggest hope now is that we can fill the gap in support for patients that is becoming increasingly challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic. What has really kept me motivated has been the positive responses we’ve heard from community members and patients accessing the site – knowing that it is a useful, accessible, and welcoming resource is the most rewarding part of doing this. And it keeps me excited about where we can go with this project in the future. Partnerships, community groups, research and publications – there are so many ways that we can keep Queering Cancer!
Meghan: I can’t believe it’s been a month already! I am glad that our web site was so well-received. In the days leading up to the launch, I remember thinking, “It doesn’t matter to me how many people visit our web site. I just hope that those who need it are able to find it.” From the responses we have seen so far, I think it’s safe to say that our web site has been found by those who need it most. Queering Cancer has been in development for nearly three years, and its launch and the response that followed on social media really forced me to reflect on the journey so far and think ahead to the work still to be done. Amanda, Evan, and I have been working with Bird Communications to plan for Queering Cancer’s future, and that’s what has me excited right now. In the meantime, I hope that people continue to discover our website, engage in our community forums, and share their stories.
Thanks for supporting us! We hope you are as excited as we are to see where we can go next!
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