In 2025, Logical Alternative partnered with Moxy Analytics to develop a comprehensive and user-friendly data visualizer map for the LGBTQ advocacy nonprofit GLAAD. The visualizer (view it here) tracks incidents of violence, extremism, and bigotry that have been committed against members of the LGBTQ community in the United States since June 1, 2022. This project coincided with the publication of GLAAD’s third annual ALERT Desk report.
Background
GLAAD has been publishing its ALERT Desk report since 2022. (ALERT stands for Anti-LGBTQ Extremism Reporting Tracker.) Each annual report “documents anti-LGBTQ incidents and trends in hate and extremism across the US,” according to the organization’s website. For the release of its third report, GLAAD wanted to try something new. They wanted to launch an interactive map of the United States which displayed data from all of its ALERT reports, and which could be updated by staff in real-time when new incidents were reported.
For the past three years, Logical Alternative has been GLAAD’s go-to service provider for its web hosting, security, CMS, and other IT needs. GLAAD approached us to bring this particular project to life. To get started, we converted the organization’s many spreadsheets of ALERT data into an organized back-end web application. Next, we worked with the consulting agency Moxy Analytics (who provided their services pro bono) to configure the web application with a Tableau Cloud template, making the compiled ALERT data visually stunning and easy for users to parse through.
Our Approach
We began work on the data visualizer map in June 2024. We built the back-end application using a framework called Laravel, which provided a simple interface as well as cost savings because Laravel’s codebase is open source. Laravel’s wide range of functionalities includes automatically geocoding data. When staff researchers at GLAAD use the web application, they have two easy options for entering data: manual input for singular incidents, and importing their existing spreadsheets that contain information pertaining to multiple incidents. With these options, GLAAD doesn’t need to rely on preserving data in isolated CSV files anymore, as they now have all data pertaining to ALERT at their fingertips in a single location.
After completing the app, we uploaded all the existing spreadsheets. With the Tableau Cloud product, we were able to take the geocoded data from the web app and produce a full-scale map of the United States. Each state displays its current incident number as well as different color shades depending on the level of severity — with gray representing a low incident number and bright red representing a high incident number. When you visit the ALERT Desk web page and scroll below the map of the United States, you will see multiple dashboards that can be filtered by Incident Type, Target Type, and Date Range. Moxy was responsible for designing these dashboards. Another feature we built was the Incident Reporting Form at the very bottom of the webpage. This is a crowdsourcing tool that allows activists and allies to notify GLAAD’s research staff about more recent incidents that aren’t in its database yet.
Results
With the data visualizer map, GLAAD now has a one-of-its-kind, participatory tool at the click of a button. The visualizer will drive ongoing engagement and interaction, and it will keep research readily accessible for future ALERT Desk reports. It also gives activists an impactful opportunity to support GLAAD’s efforts to combat violence against members of the LGBTQ community, thanks to the Incident Reporting Form. On top of all this, our project for GLAAD received coverage in such media outlets as MSNBC and The Hill.
Want to increase the reach of your next report? Data visualizers are a proven tool for boosting readership and overall engagement. Send us a message so we can discuss how to bring our full-stack services to your next report or data-driven project. Logical Alternative is here to work comfortably within your budget.