Fighting Homophobia in Virtual Communities

by Michael Jones · 2009-07-02 17:59:00 UTC
Topics:

Virtual World

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has launched a cool new project that's ripe for the digital age: it's a campaign to combat homophobia in virtual communities.  From Facebook to XBox message boards, homophobia won't have any hiding grounds.  Here's a quote from Rashad Robinson, GLAAD's Senior Director of Media Programs:

As more and more people turn to virtual communities to connect with each other and for entertainment, we need to ensure these spaces are LGBT-inclusive and safe for our community – right now that’s not always the case.  Our new project and work with leading tech companies aims to both educate users on the impact of homophobic remarks and put sustainable policies in place that make the experience fun and inclusive for everyone.

It's a hefty task, as it involves monitoring everything from comments on blogs to company message boards.  It will also involve making sure that online forums allow their users to be open about who they are.  For instance, earlier this year XBox Live was found to suspend users for using the word "gay," even if it meant that the users were describing their identity.  XBox Live has since changed the policy, but the hiccup was certainly a reminder that adding filters with certain words or phrases screened into them isn't a catch all for addressing homophobia.

For more information on GLAAD's program, go here.  Also worth noting is that in two weeks, GLAAD will be hosting a panel event in Silicon Valley with some of the country's leading game and software companies on virtual homophobia.  Way to stay ahead of the 21st century, GLAAD.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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