Fighting Homophobia in Virtual Communities

categories: LGBT Tech News, Nonprofit Profiles

Published July 02, 2009 @ 05:59PM PT

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.

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Comments (6)

GLAAD is doing the correct thing by supporting a project with the goal of making sure the virtual world is tolerant to the LGBT community. Homophobia is a form of intolerance which gives no good to the perpetrator. It's also good that GLAAD will host an event in Silicon Valley to bring software and game companies on the topic of homophobia in the virtual world. I'm part of the generation which grew up with the virtual world, thus fighting homophobia the virtual world is very important.

Posted by Edwin Bonilla on 07/02/2009 @ 06:15PM PT
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LOL i was one of those people that did get banned by accident. Being very close with the ins at MS and other games studios it was a quick laugh and a sigh of relief that the monitoring system works. Right now it is still being refined from what I hear. It will be funny when Natal comes out and when a person uses a derogatory remark against a minority or any group of people; the computer might correct and lecture them. LOL it might also give the radical right more fuel to ban games because they are teaching tolerance, just like the public school system is trying to do.

Posted by Chris Marshall on 07/03/2009 @ 07:33AM PT
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That's awesome! I've been using the internet for ten years, and it's about time something like this happened. I know that gaming places are hubs of homophobia and hyper-machismo among youth.

Posted by Luella - on 07/03/2009 @ 03:30PM PT
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Yep...This is a good thing indeed.

I can name 2 places they should look at right off the bat.

1 : Topix AND 2 : Youtube.

Theyve both been infested with homohaters among other things.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 07/03/2009 @ 04:58PM PT
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I know they are doing YouTube..Topix too I think.

Such a huge project, I know I hope they make up a bunch of summer intern positions for our young cyber generation to help.

Posted by Lee Dorsey on 07/03/2009 @ 08:51PM PT
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They shouldn't limit their freedom of speech, no instead have it labeled as what it is. False, bullshit rhetoric. Just allow users to mark each anti-whatever video as hate speech and allow then to audit it as they see fit. This preserves the first amendment and then shows how waist high in bullshit these people are.

Posted by Chris Marshall on 07/05/2009 @ 07:40PM PT
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Author

Michael is the Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, and previously was Communications Director for Pax Christi USA, a progressive Catholic human rights organization.