This text is part of the special Acfas Congress booklet
The lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) communities were among the first to appropriate the Internet to find themselves among peers. If the digital platforms have now integrated almost all the components of their life, one can tend to think that they promote the strengthening of these communities. But they can also participate in their oppression. This is the main theme that will be discussed during the colloquium. Digital challenges for LGBTQ+ communitieswhich takes place on May 12, at the Acfas Congress.
“It is certain that digital platforms have allowed people from LGBTQ+ communities to find themselves, to explore their identity, to protect themselves. But at the same time, it’s a double-edged sword because there are dangers lurking for these people on these platforms,” says Christopher Dietzel, postdoctoral researcher in the Sexual Health and Gender (SHaG) Lab at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia. .
While this field of research is in full swing in the English-speaking world, the organizers of the symposium wanted to bring together researchers in the field from the French-speaking side. “We want to create links, encourage new collaborations. And we are delighted to be able to bring together such a wide variety of subjects treated, researchers from different regions of the world, from Quebec to the rest of Canada, via France and Haiti,” says co-director Mr. Dietzel.
Safe spaces
The first block of lectures will address the issue of building LGBTQ+ safe spaces online. Mr. Dietzel will present a lecture on online and in-person consent among gay men. He takes the example of using a dating app.
“For some, from the moment someone enters this space, they are giving consent to everything, while others expect consent to be negotiated with every conversation, every interaction,” explains- he.
Second, in-person consent is not necessarily the same as online consent. “I looked at gay men, but this issue is not just for gay men, but for everyone who uses dating apps,” Dietzel says.
Socialization and LGBTQ+ identities
The second block will talk about socialization and LGBTQ+ identities in a digital context. Stefanie Duguay, assistant professor at Concordia University, is interested in how queer women negotiate their identity on platforms and apps. It depends on multiple factors, from individual decision to how the platform or app works, to different government rules and policies.
She gives the example of Tinder, a dating application that allows you to create your profile by importing your information from Facebook or Instagram. “However, on its platforms, there is a lot of information on what we do, what we like. There are photos, but few details about his sexual identity, ”she says.
Even if queer women register in their Tinder profile that they are looking for women, they risk being very solicited, especially by couples who want to have a threesome sexual experience. “To have a better chance of meeting other queer women, they will tend to add information,” explains the researcher. They can then say in their bio that they are 100% lesbians, add photos taken during Fierté Montréal, the rainbow flag or the emoji of two women. »
The researcher therefore looked at the different strategies used by queer women to express their sexual identity, but also at the obstacles they find in their path.
“For example, Instagram asks users to help them moderate content, so if heterosexual people are dominant, it’s possible that homophobic people will report content posted by homosexual people”, raises the author of the book Personal but Not Private: Queer Women, Sexuality, and Identity Modulation on Digital Platforms.
There are also issues with platforms that use keywords. “For example, sometimes #lesbian gets censored because it often leads to pornographic content,” she says. In trying to get rid of these companies, these platforms also block all other content related to this keyword. »
The question of algorithms
The last block will address the question of the algorithmic mediation of LGBTQ+ cultures. “Platforms are not neutral, but built by systems that are powered by their users. Particularly in LGBTQ+ communities, there may be specific concerns, including harassment or safety,” Dietzel said.
We will hear in particular on the question David Myles, co-leader of the conference and postdoctoral researcher at McGill University at the Institute for Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies, where he studies the effect of algorithms in terms of equity and social justice. .