OUR RESEARCH APPROACH
How We Research LGBTQ+ Relocation
We built Out & Found around one question:
Could we, as a gay couple, realistically build a safe, healthy, affordable, and fulfilling life here?
What we evaluate for LGBTQ+ life abroad
WHAT WE CARE ABOUT
Six areas that can shape LGBTQ+ life abroad, evaluated consistently across every country we research.
Marriage & Relationships
Whether your marriage or relationship is
legally recognized.
Healthcare & HIV Treatment
Access to treatment, medication, and
specialist support.
Anti-Discrimination
Legal protections that impact safety, employment, and housing.
PrEP & PEP Access
Availability, affordability, and ease of access.
Family Rights & Protections
The ability to build and protect your
family abroad.
Social Climate
Public attitudes, acceptance, and local
LGBTQ+ communities.
Every guide covers more than the LGBTQ+ areas.
THE FULLER PICTURE
Beyond the six areas above, every country guide is a full 16-chapter reference across five parts — residency, healthcare, taxes, cost of living, safety, planning
PART I
Getting oriented
PART II
The fundamentals
PART III
Money & daily life
PART IV
Community & safety
PART V
Planning & verdict
See the full chapter map on the home page.
Before we evaluate anything else, every country must first pass three safety gates.
WHAT DISQUALIFIES A COUNTRY
Our minimum standards
01
Legal Status
Being LGBTQ+ must not be criminalized.
02
Safety from Persecution
State-sponsored or systematic anti-LGBTQ+ violence must not exist.
03
Social Climate
A country's social climate must provide a baseline of LGBTQ+ acceptance.
We screen countries out before we screen them in.
How we research every country
OUR PROCESS
Every country is evaluated using the same research framework.
01 Real Questions
We begin with the questions LGBTQ+ people ask when considering a move abroad.
02 Gather the Data
We research official statistics, laws, healthcare systems, and other verified sources.
03 Confirm Accuracy
Every data point is cited to its source and checked against our authority standards before publication.
04 Data Evaluation
Each country is evaluated using the same structured research framework.
05 Publish & Update
We publish transparent guides and update them to keep information current.
WHAT WE RELY ON
Our source hierarchy
Official and institutional sources first, supplemented by peer-reviewed research and trusted local reporting.
Government Data
National Statistical Offices
Immigration Ministries
Revenue Authorities
National Legal Codes
Global Institutions
WHO, UNAIDS
ILGA World, ILGA-Europe
U.S. State Department Human Rights Reports
EU Fundamental Rights Agency
Healthcare Systems
WHO Country Health Profiles
OECD Health Statistics
National Health Ministries
JCI Hospital Accreditation
Community Sources
TGEU
Amnesty International
Human Rights Watch
Peer-Reviewed Academic Research
Regional Insights
Numbeo (cost of living)
Ookla / OpenSignal (digital infrastructure)
OSCE Hate Crime Database
Where something can't be verified, we say so.
START WHERE YOU ARE
Ready to see the method applied?
Pick the question closest to yours and we'll send the starting shortlist — or open the country library.
