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LGBTQIA+ youth spend more time online than non-LGBTQIA+ peers, according to GLSEN (2013), and 88.5% have participated in an LGBTQIA+ community online (McInroy et al., 2019b).

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Research indicates some of the main information needs of LGBTQIA+ youth online surround sexual health (Flanders et al., 2017), community building (Fish et al., 2022), building identity (GLSEN, 2013), and civic participation (McInroy et al., 2019b).

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73% of young people (age 14-29) in the United States have access to an internet-enabled smart phone (McInroy et al., 2019a).

(Image from giphy)

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LGBTQIA+ youth prefer to use platforms and applications that allow them to engage in micro-blogging, media sharing, and fandom communities (McInroy et al., 2019a). The micro-blogging platform Tumblr, for example, is very popular with LGBTQIA+ youth as a space for community building (McInroy et al., 2019a).

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Tumblr is a place to express yourself, discover yourself, and bond over the stuff you love. It's where your interests connect you with your people.

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Emerging technologies and platforms like Q Chat Space have allowed LGBTQIA+ teens to build community and friendships online, which many cite as a key need that guides their online behavior (Fish et al., 2022). LGBTQIA+ teens are more likely to have online friends, and see those friends as more supportive than their in-person peers (Ybarra et al., 2014).

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We're glad you're here

Find and give support, have fun, connect around shared interests, and get good information. Chat with like-minded peers in live chats designed for you & by you, facilitated by folks who care. Learn more.

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Q Chat Space is a digital LGBTQ + center where you can join live chat, professionally facilitated, discussion groups.

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Many LGBTQIA+ youth utilize the internet, social media, and emerging technologies as a way to protect their identities and seek information safely, without the risk of outing themselves (Hamer, 2003). Tumblr, then, may be a significant platform then for LGBTQIA+ youth, as it requires very little personal information to join (Wargo, 2017). Check out the blog from MPL Chameleon, LGBTQIA+ teens from the Medford Public Library!

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It's Transgender Day of Visibility! Why not celebrate it by diving into some YA fiction, graphic novels, and non-fiction featuring trans and non-binary teens?

Titles Listed (from left to right):

A Million Quiet Revolutions - Robin Gow

Lakelore - Anna-Marie McLemore

Across a Field of Starlight - Blue Delliquanti

The (Un)Popular Vote - Jasper Sanchez

Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms - Crystal Frasier

The Heartbreak Bakery - A.R. Carpetta

And They Lived ... - Steven Salvatore

The Passing Playbook - Isaac Fitzsimons

Boys Run the Riot - Keito Gaku

Between Perfect & Real - Ray Stoeve

The Hazards of Love, vol. 1: Bright World - Stan Stanley

Meet Cute Diary - Emery Lee

Beyond the Gender Binary - Alok Vaid-Menon

Seeing Gender: An Illustrated Guide to Identity and Expression - Iris Gottlieb

Growing Up Trans: In Our Own Words - ed. by Dr. Lindsay Herriot and Kate Fry

A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities - Mady G & J.R. Zuckerberg

At our first Chameleon meeting back in person (!!!) on January 18th, our theme was "Fave LGBTQIA+ Media," and the teens attending didn't disappoint! We had a spirited discussion about what some current favorites are, which also included content that might not directly have LGBTQIA+ characters, but the content still feels queer in some way (even though, as one teen stated, some of that media tends to lean towards queer coding and queerbaiting instead of "real" representation).

Even as LGBTQIA+ representation in the media continues to grow, there still isn't enough! One teen summed it up neatly by stating in their opinion that, "books are 90% straight, it needs to be the other way around!" Therefore, queer teens still find themselves seeking representation in other mediums, especially fanfiction and fanart, where, as one teen said, "We can see ourselves [specifically QTBIPOC] more!"

The list of media above is a combination of movies, TV shows, and video games that either contain canon queer characters, or that feel very queer to the teens who enjoy them.

Medford Public Library Chameleon Teens LGBTQIA+ Media Recommendations:

TV Shows: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (Netflix) Harley Quinn: the Animated Series (HBO Max) Black Mirror: San Junipero (Netflix) My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (Discovery Family) Movies: Rocketman (Amazon Prime) Single All the Way (Netflix) Eternals (Disney+) Venom: Let There Be Carnage (in theaters) Video Games: Five Nights at Freddy's (PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox) Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS4, Xbox)

Happy National Coming Out Day to all queer youth! Art by Brianna Vieira.

With Indigenous People's Day approaching on Monday, October 11, what better time to share some resources for queer Indigenous folks?

Indigenous Pride LA Sunday, October 10, is Indigenous Pride LA, which will be heldENTIRELY ONLINE! From 11 am-4 pm PST, tune in via their website or YouTube channel for a livestream of queer and two-spirit Indigenous content from creators across all lands, waters, and nations. And check out their website for links to local and national resources!

"I'm Queer and Indigenous, I'm NOT Two-Spirit" A blog post from an Afro-Indigenous person about her personal connection to the terms that identify her, and her own journey in the intersection of her identities.

NativeOUT The Facebook account for NativeOUT, a national unincorporated nonprofit education and media organization that seeks to create social change in rural and urban communities that benefit Indigenous lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and Two Spirit people

Native Justice Coalition Two-Spirit Program A Two-Spirit program which engages in decolonizing gender roles and identities within Native and First Nations communities. They work to restore gender balance through honoring the entire gender spectrum that exists in Indigenous communities. They work by and for individuals, families, and communities who need safe and supportive spaces. Their work also focuses on sovereignty and cultural resurgence as well as the restoration that Indigenous people deserve. They do this work through culturally based healing stories, talking circles, workshops, gatherings and other forms of community engagement.

Being Two-Spirit: a Brief Explainer "They've gone by a lot of names. They've endured colonialism and hatred. But they are still here and they are amazing. Here is a brief history of queer Native culture." Short YouTube video.

It's Bisexual Visibility Day! In honor of that, here are some great bisexual reads featuring bisexual teen characters! Some authors listed here identify as somewhere under the queer umbrella, which is always a bonus :). So celebrate the B in LGBTQIA+ and get reading!

Books listed in the graphic, from left to right, top to bottom (top image first, then bottom image):

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan

Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler

Things We Couldn't Say by Jay Coles

Off the Record by Camryn Garrett

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert

Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

Running with Lions by Julian Winters

I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee

Zara Hossain is Here by Sabina Khan

The Other Merlin by Robyn Schneider

Odd One Out by Nic Stone

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

We Are Totally Normal by Rahul Kanakia

September 15th-October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month! In honor of this month, here are some YA books featuring queer Hispanic teens!

Books in order, left to right, top row to bottom row:

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee

Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Insiders by Mark Oshiro

Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Spin Me Right Round by David Valdes

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

The Mirror Season by A.M. McLemore

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

The Truth Is by NoNieqa Ramos

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

Indivisible by Daniel Aleman

Fire with Fire by Destiny Soria

LGBTQIA+ Youth Summer Series: Weekly Prompt, August 30

Submit via our Padlet! Additionally, if you are attending either of the Affirmations Book Clubs, please feel free to submit book reviews, fan art, or anything related to the books discussed each month as additional creative content, even if it doesn't relate to the prompt!

Reminder: You have through Friday to submit content! Details on what type of content to submit are .

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It's Transgender Day of Visibility! Why not celebrate it by diving into some YA fiction, graphic novels, and non-fiction featuring trans and non-binary teens? Titles Listed (from left to right): A Million Quiet Revolutions - Robin Gow Lakelore - Anna-Marie McLemore Across a Field of Starlight - Blue Delliquanti The (Un)Popular Vote - Jasper Sanchez Cheer Up!

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Multiple studies indicate that technology is increasingly important for LGBTQIA+ youth in rural areas in particular (Fish et al., 2022; McInroy et al., 2019a), as these platforms serve as a way to overcome potential barriers to needed resources or a lack of in-person resources.

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YouTube as a space to create and share content, and get support from an online community

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YouTube as a space to create and share content, and get support from an online community

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YouTube has become a significant space for LGBTQIA+ youth to connect with others, similar to an online youth center (Green et al., 2015). In particular, the It Gets Better Project on YouTube has emerged as a space for providing support to this community through encouraging videos and allowing users to add their own content (Michaelsen, 2017).

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It Gets Better Project | Welcome, Stay A While! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

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Fish, J. N., Williams, N. D., McInroy, L. B., Paceley, M. S., Edsall, R. N., Devadas, J., Henderson, S. B., & Levine, D. S.  (2022). Q chat space: Assessing the feasibility and acceptability of an internet-based support program for LGBTQ youth. Prevention Science, 23, 130–141. https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.1007/s11121-021-01291-y

Flanders, C. E., Pragg, L., Dobinson, C., & Logie, C. (2017). Young sexual minority women's use of the internet and other digital technologies for sexual health information seeking. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 26(1), 17-25. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A591041703/AONE?u=csusj&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=98f1baa4

GLSEN (2013). Out online: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth on the internet. https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/2020-01/Out_Online_Full_Report_2013.pdf

Green, M., Bobrowicz, A., & Ang, C. S. (2015). The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community online: discussions of bullying and self-disclosure in YouTube videos. Behaviour & Information Technology, 34(7), 704–712. https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.1080/0144929X.2015.1012649

Hamer, J. S. (2003). Coming-out: Gay males' information seeking. School Libraries Worldwide, 9(2), 73-89.

It Gets Better Project (2021, October 11). Welcome, stay a while [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcpXoh629bs&t=1s

McInroy, L. B., Craig, S. L. & Leung, V. W. Y (2019a). Platforms and patterns for practice: LGBTQ+ youths’ use of information and communication technologies. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 36, 507–520. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-018-0577-x

McInroy, L. B., McCloskey, R. J., Craig, S. L., & Eaton, A. D. (2019b). LGBTQ+ youths’ community engagement and resource seeking online versus offline. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 37(4), 315–333. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228835.2019.1617823

Medford Public Library (2022, March 31). Chameleon @ MPL. Tumblr. https://mplchameleon.tumblr.com

Michaelsen, A. (2017). Feeling differently together: The It Gets Better Project as an unlikely intimate public of LGBT peers. Emotion, Space and Society, 25, 144-149. https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.1016/j.emospa.2017.07.008

Tumblr (2022, April 23). LGBTQIA+ Youth. https://www.tumblr.com/search/LGBTQIA%20youth

Wargo, J. M. (2017). #donttagyourhate: Reading   collecting and curating as genres of participation in LGBT youth activism on Tumblr. Digital Culture & Education, 9(1), 14–30.

Ybarra, M., Mitchell, K. J., Palmer, N. A., & Reisner, S. L. (2014). Online social support as a buffer against online and offline peer and sexual victimization among U.S. LGBT and non-LGBT youth. Child Abuse & Neglect, 39, 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.08.006