Digital Queers: How Computers Transformed LGBTQ Life in the United States by Kennedy Betancourt

This video is from the Phil Donahue show. He had his audience ask general education questions about transgender people and their experiences.

betancke2 — 2024-02-01 16:10:50 UTC

Rather than online forums where trans individuals could go, some went on talk shows like The Phil Donahue Show or The Sally Jessy Raphael Show. During these shows, individuals would be asked questions that were harmful or uncomfortable. Very rarely were they asked appropriate questions or not attacked.

The Bulletin Board System (BBS)

betancke2 — 2024-02-01 16:14:34 UTC

The BBS was a computer/application you could pay for to be allowed to communicate with anyone in your area. This site was popular among the LGBTQIA+ community from the 80s to the 90s. It offered a safe space for individuals to discuss their identities, explore other identities, and allow the ideas of fundraisers and protests to float around and become real.

This was a website where trans youth could express themselves freely and be out. It wasn't a relationship app per say but just a safe space for trans youth.

betancke2 — 2024-02-01 16:23:48 UTC

"Beyond just the format's wider impact, digital communications is one of of the few types of archival records from this period written by trans youth." (Griff 2013)

Questions for the class:

betancke2 — 2024-02-01 16:35:28 UTC

How has society changed the way they treat the LGBTQIA+ community since the 2000s?
What can we do to further our support and inclusion for LGBTQIA+ youth?
What other sites or apps have offered refuge for LGBTQIA+ members? Do you have personal experience?

AIDS Epidemic

betancke2 — 2024-02-01 16:43:57 UTC

Because of the digital communities, people were able to come together to spread awareness of AIDs and how the government wasn't doing anything to help. The ACT UP organization or AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power organization provided information while doing protests and "kiss-ins". This is a group that advocated for people with AIDs and worked to end the epidemic of the virus.

betancke2 — 2024-02-01 16:44:13 UTC

Trans Inclusion

betancke2 — 2024-02-06 18:00:58 UTC

Trans individuals were heavily targeted during this period of the internet when they were advocating for themselves. The trans movement, The Two Revolutions, wouldn't be possible without the internet. Personal homepages were popular especially among the trans community. "The sheer size and variety of the directory gave users, particularly those not connected to an existing community organization, a sense of membership and belonging" (Griff, 5). Being able to claim their identities through the internet helped aid the LGBTQ+ history. Claiming their history means a lot. It means they can say, "We are here. We have been here."

Older LGBTQIA+ Friendly Sites

betancke2 — 2024-02-06 18:08:44 UTC

GenderNet (BBS) - Inactive
Gender.org - Inactive
Metroplex (cross dressers club) - Active (https://www.sheetssite.net/metrocd/funstuff/clubs.html)
Jennifer's homepage (personal homepage) - Personal site (Inactive)
Susana Marques’s TV/CD/TS/TG Directory home page - Active (https://www.geocities.ws/server2/homestead/westhollywood/6200/geowh1.htm)