Without the internet, Alex, 29, would never have met his friends, and finding community while living in a small town surrounded by farmland hasn’t always been easy.
Alex tried out an app aimed at adults looking to make friends, and it worked wonders: “Using the internet helped me form a group of friends,” they said, explaining that even if all of their friends were transgender, their interests were so diverse that “it would be highly unlikely that we would have met by chance.”
For Alex, making friends online is safer. Before hormone replacement therapy and surgery made them more “visibly queer,” they’d been in frightening situations: “We’ve been chased by pickup trucks while driving, we’ve had people yelling at us as we drive by, we’ve had guns fired at us,” they say.
Being able to use the internet for appointments, work and social activities is an essential part of their lives.
But the web hasn’t always been a friendly place for Alex: “There’s a lot of hate and lies about trans people out there,” they say, “which is why it takes some of us a long time to discover who we are.”
This dissonance is widespread within the LGBTQ community, and a recent report by LGBT Tech and Data for Progress, “ctrl+alt+lgbt: Digital Access, Usage, and Experiences of the LGBTQ+ Community,” offers insight into the phenomenon.
Shay Gardner, policy director at LGBT Tech, explained that most research on the LGBTQ community’s use of the internet has focused on young people to date. This project aimed to fill that gap. Surveying 1,300 people nationwide, the report found that while the internet is a fundamental space for LGBTQ community building and self-expression, it also poses a high risk of bullying and harassment.
These findings are strengthened when looking specifically at data from underrepresented groups within the LGBTQ population, such as the transgender community, which is the group most subject to harassment online, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Gardner explained that the study intentionally oversampled transgender individuals. “We wanted to understand that particular experience,” Gardner said.
The Blade interviewed five transgender people to gain insight into how transgender community members feel as they browse the web, specifically identifying sources who don’t have a public platform and therefore don’t face intense public scrutiny. Concerned about backlash, all sources in this story spoke on the condition of anonymity, using gender-neutral names and the pronouns “they/them.”
Four out of five people interviewed highlighted the internet as an important resource for accessing healthcare.
“I’m very nervous about transitioning because I don’t want to have to deal with doctors about my identity. I feel like I’ll never find a doctor that understands me,” Riley, 24, explained.
For many, the internet provides a safe space to access health information and care without a doctor’s judgment. Kai, 23, and Cameron, 27, said the internet has been an important place to learn more about transgender health care and find transgender-friendly medical providers. Alex agreed, adding that she receives all of her doctor’s appointments via telehealth.
These experiences are shared by the transgender community at large: According to a LGBT Tech survey, 70% of transgender adults have used the internet to find LGBTQ-friendly medical care, compared to only 41% of cisgender LGBTQ adults.
All of the sources interviewed said they sought out LGBTQ communities online, with varying degrees of success.
Jordan, 24, said social media is not only a good way to stay connected with people she knows, but also helps her find a wider community: “It’s nice to follow other trans and queer people whose experiences inspire me and make me feel validated.”
Cameron emphasized that the internet has provided her with connections to activities and communities around town. “Social media has facilitated direct connections to my queer and transgender community,” they explained. “Through social media, I’ve learned a lot about what queer events are happening around town. There’s an amazing community of queer sports people that I would never have found without the internet.”
Kai said the effort was not a success for them, and “I wish we could have achieved more.”
According to a Trans Tech survey, 41% of transgender adults use social media “frequently” to connect with existing LGBTQ friends and family (as opposed to “sometimes,” “rarely,” or “never”). This is 21% more than the LGBTQ community as a whole. The survey also found that transgender adults are 20% more likely than the LGBTQ community as a whole to use social media “frequently” to connect with new LGBTQ community members.
All but Cameron have experienced some form of direct bullying or harassment, either online or in person, because they are transgender: The survey found that 83% of transgender adults have been bullied online, compared to 59% of the cisgender LGBTQ community.
“Technology is only as good as its application, and this is the other side of a double-edged sword,” Gardner said.
Gardner explained that online and in-person harassment are similar: “For LGBTQ+ people, particularly transgender people, experiences of anti-LGBTQ bullying were very high, but the numbers were roughly the same as their experiences of anti-LGBTQ+ bullying in the real world,” she said. The survey found that 82% of transgender adults have faced in-person bullying.
The survey found that despite similar levels of harassment and higher levels of misinformation (93% of transgender adults have encountered anti-LGBTQ misinformation online), the overwhelming majority of respondents felt safe online: 67% of transgender adults and 76% of cisgender LGBTQ adults.
When Gardner compared this phenomenon to his own life, he wasn’t surprised: “The harassment I’ve experienced online has felt less immediately threatening than the harassment I’ve faced in person. It’s more damaging psychologically, but perhaps easier for individuals to escape.”
Still, Gardner points out, “we have to fight.” [harassment] Either place.”
She explained that “with record-breaking anti-LGBTQ+ legislation once again looming, it’s crucial that we continue to fight to keep digital spaces as safe as possible.”
Regardless of safety, the internet is an ever-present space for many. “I’m always on the internet,” says Alex. “I have a desk job, so I’m on the internet a lot while I’m working,” says Jordan.
When thinking about the internet, Riley summed up the tensions they experience: “It can often be distressing, but at the same time, it’s a place where I feel a sense of community and connection.”
(This story is part of News is Out’s Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab. The lab’s work is made possible with the support of Comcast NBCUniversal.)
