How LGBT youths are shaped by online communities?
- May 12, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 28, 2022
Online spaces have always been a haven for queer communities to thrive and grow, therefore it is no surprise to no one that the queer space seems to have developed alongside our technologies. As a queer woman myself who grew up around queer spaces and was able to grow my identity through the said queer spaces, I was interested to see if my experience of the queer online communities and space was universal or whether my experience was an anomaly.
I created a google form in which I received over 20+ responses with spectrums of experiences, however, I also personally interviewed 2 queer university students and asked them about their own experiences. Y, a 20-year-old, identifies as a cis pansexual woman, and M, another 20-year-old, identifies as a bisexual asexual genderqueer person.
What was your sexual awakening?
Y: I was obsessed with this girl in school and I just thought she was incredible and I didn't know whether I wanted to be her or be with her. It turns out I definitely wanted to be with her
M: That was really difficult because of the whole asexual thing again where I don't really experience sexual attraction. If I had to choose I would say the movie 'Mummy' and my love for the 2 main characters
A non-binary lesbian who filled out the google form replied stating that they "just realized" and "had a crush on a female and realized it’s not normal to crush on your own gender"
How long have you been in online spaces?
Y : Probably very long time from at least maybe 7 years. 7-8 years
M: For as long as I can remember, but I wasn't in them, more I was just aware of them. I only joined after one of my lowest point in life. I think I was around 13/14 years old, so I have been in only spaces for 7 years.
What ages did you figure out your sexuality and gender if it applies?
Y : 14 years old
M : Sexuality I figured out when I was 14 years, which was I fully figured out I was bi, but I figured I was 16. In terms of gender, I have had a gender crisis for as long as I can remember, but I figured it out a lot more comfortable when I was 18.
From the data from the google form, the majority of the participants figured out their sexuality and gender around the age range of 12-19.
Were you part of any online spaces when you discovered your identity? If yes, where were they?
Y : Yes, yes I was. Urm, Tumblr, I was part of that whole thing and Instagram funnily enough, but mainly Tumblr
M : Yes and the 2 biggest spaces were Tumblr and Instagram, although I didn't like Instagram space
The majority of the participants stated that they were present in online spaces while discovering their identities, and most of those online spaces took place on Tumblr.
Do you think that having the online space impacted you, whether it is positively or negatively, in your queer journey?
Y : Yes, absolutely. It helped me find my voice and helped me figure out what I was and what I wanted to identify as. All these only spaces where helpful
M : I think like everything in life its both good and bad but more good than it was bad because I didn't feel and I saw how many people were like me. it felt really comforting. The bad came from the need to fit a certain identity and I was try to partake in a group, I felt like I was invading their space
The last question that I asked everyone was "What advice would they give queer youths?" and this, as queer adults, were their responses :
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