Image retrieved from http://lgbtcb.org/, on February 27, 2015
Today, we have an especially important blog that focuses on a particular minority group: those who identify with a different sexuality. The commonly known term is LGBTQ – standing for Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender and Queer. Not only is it central to cyberbullying, it also involves a personal story from our guest blogger, Kieran. According to Cooper & Blumenfeld (2012), over 40% of LGBTQ youth have experienced some form of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is an imbalance of power, and the person with more power abusing those with less. With sexuality, it is also about a lack of understanding and fear (Cooper & Blumenfeld, 2012).
Kieran is a 24 year old male who does not identify as heterosexual. He has had a wide variety of experiences online, part of them due to his sexuality. We would like to thank Kieran for being so generous by providing us with a glimmer of perspective into his world.
“My experiences with the cyber world have been very interesting to say the least. I have had people take advantage of me as a young and new university student and have also had people berate me and try to belittle me online due to me not providing the ‘proper’ answer that they were looking for. The internet is not a respectful place for anyone, in my experiences, and can definitely leave you feeling less than human because people only care for themselves and getting what they want out of the interactions; if they don’t then they feel jilted. As much as I have dealt with uncomfortable situations and experiences where I came away feeling less than human, I also feel that I’m limited and forced to use internet dating or other cyber forms of communication to meet and interact with other people, including those who I may pursue as a potential future partner.” – Kieran
The internet can create a place that isolates individuals and can remove positive human interactions by literally removing ones humanity. Differences should not separate us; they should instead bring us together. The internet is an invaluable tool that provides us with so many resources to encourage learning and education. If you don’t understand sexuality and want a better way to connect with people, here is an amazing resource that can answer many of your questions! http://www.sexualityandu.ca/sexual-health/sexual-orientation-and-coming-out
The internet should be a safe space no matter who you are; whether you are trying to online date, be open about who you are, or just want to explore online. Help to make sure no one has to have the bad experiences that Kieran and so many others like him have had and are having right now.
Cooper, R., & Blumenfeld, W. (2012). Responses to cyberbullying: A descriptive analysis of the frequency of and impact on LGBT and allied youth. Journal of LGBT Youth, 9(2), 153-177.
Fix the Internet 