• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, September 17, 2013

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people around the world are avid consumers of all kinds of media, but niche Web sites and blogs targeting LGBT audiences are still their favorite online destination.

According to the 2013 LGBT Community Survey by Community Market & Insights of 30,000 LGBT people globally, including around 13,000 in the U.S., 67% of gay men and 58% of lesbian women polled had visited an LGBT site or blog in the past week.

That compares to 57% of gay men and 46% of lesbian women who said they visited mainstream Web sites and blogs. Plus, 34% of LGBT Internet users said they have begun visiting LGBT sites and blogs more often over the last year.

By the same token, other LGBT media platforms aren’t quite as popular, with just 50% of gay men and 42% of lesbian women said they read local LGBT publications, while 41% of gay men and 45% of lesbian women said they read LGBT email newsletters, and 38% and 30%, respectively, read LGBT national magazines. Gay men were much more likely to use LGBT mobile apps than lesbian women (25% versus 6%).

On the mainstream media side, 65% of gay men and 57% of lesbian women said they had watched mainstream TV (including network and cable) in the past week, while 55% and 46%, respectively, said they read mainstream newspapers. 43% of gay men and 34% of lesbian women read mainstream magazines, and 41% and 39%, respectively, listen to mainstream radio.

Turning to social media, 40% of gay men and 42% of lesbian women have “Liked” a business on Facebook, while 34% and 27%, respectively, have clicked on a Facebook ad.

Asked which brands they felt were most supportive of the LGBT community, respondents listed Starbucks, JCPenney, Target, Apple, and Amazon in the top five. On the other hand, 75% of respondents said they are boycotting Chick-Fil-A.

"Rainbow Flag" photo from Shutterstock.