The online world; a sanctuary or troll-filled nightmare for the LGBTQ+ community

By Charlotte Summers and Atalanti Liapi

COVID-19 has created an online world with many of us glued to our phones for work, social connection and even out of pure boredom. As a result, many LGBTQ+ people are noticing a spike in hate crimes and online trolling across their social media platforms. With the internet now becoming our main source of connection and social interaction, what does that mean for victims of online abuse?

What actually is trolling?

For those of us old enough to remember, the ’90s were a time where chokers, double denim and platform shoes were commonplace. Britney reigned as queen and the internet was slowly but surely blowing up, little did we know just how dramatic an impact the world wide web would soon have on our lives. As the internet began to thrive, so did online trolls. People soon learnt that online you could hide behind anonymity in a way that is not possible face to face, this led to a particularly vicious form of abuse being born. Just as the many positive uses of the internet have grown, so have the many ways it can be used to harm those most marginalised.

The word trolling itself, an internet slang word, is defined by urban dictionary as “the deliberate act of making random unsolicited and/or controversial comments on various internet forums with the intent to provoke an emotional knee jerk reaction from unsuspecting readers to engage in a fight.” In essence, trolling is an online action purposefully provoking the victim and often includes abuse and harassment. It comes in many forms and although occurs online, has dire physical and psychological consequences.

This type of behaviour was first brought to public attention in the form of cyberbullying, with the introduction of affordable private computers alongside the growth of chatrooms and private messaging platforms. These platforms, that were intended to connect people, have always simultaneously been used to harass and bully, with predominantly vulnerable teens and children as the first victims. These internet bullies, hiding behind their computers, often preyed on those most marginalised, with LGBTQ+ youth disproportionately affected. Today, this sadly still continues, with research from 2017 showing 40% of LGB youth have faced homophobic or biphobic abuse online and 58% of trans youth having received transphobic online abuse. As technology has advanced, its insidious side has too, however it has often seemed like the government and those that should be keeping these spaces safe, are left two steps behind. Although cyberbullying appeared around the early 90’s, laws against these behaviours didn’t come into action until 1998 and even now, cyberbullying is still not legally defined within UK laws.

Since the '90s a lot has changed; Britney and Justin didn’t make it, platforms went out of fashion (and then back in again), and social media has blown up in a way that no one could have ever predicted. The internet affects us in almost all aspects of our lives, whether that’s school, work or our personal relationships. There are currently 3.17 billion users on the internet, with a global average of 145 minutes each spent on social media per day. We are more connected than ever, something of profound value in these times of self-isolation. However, the way the internet is used to harass people has sadly also grown. We live in an era of trolling, with LGBTQ+ people often at the brunt of this. Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, among other social platforms, have all become breeding grounds for anti-LGBT rhetoric. A recent Hate Crime Report from the charity Galop, found that 80% of LGBTQ+ people had experienced abuse online. Among these victims, 60% faced threats of violence and 40% received extreme death threats or sexual assault threats. The head of hate crime services at Galop, Nick Antjoule, spoke out about this “Despite progress on LGBT+ rights, online platforms remain hostile environments for many LGBT+ people. This report offers a sobering reminder of the harms caused by online hate. It targets individuals, poisons social discourse and limits opportunities to live open and fulfilled lives.” For LGBT+ people the internet can be a place of refuge, where they can find and connect with members of their community. For many, it is a place where they first come out and find vital resources, however, in response to online abuse two out of five LGBT+ people use social media significantly less and one in five delete their accounts altogether. Among them, are LGBT+ public figures, such as Ruby Rose, who have been chased off social platforms, preventing them from connecting with fans and being visible role models to their community.

This abuse doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Just as we have seen anti-LGBT abuse increase online, we have seen it increase in the physical world, with many suggesting the two are intrinsically linked. Although we are often led to believe that today’s society is progressive and that discrimination towards minorities is a problem of the past, the statistics show a very different story. Recent figures reveal that homophobic hate crimes in London have increased by 55% in the last 5 years, not quite the progressive paradise it is often painted to be. With both anti-LGBT hate crime and online abuse increasing, it suggests that the two are symptoms of a larger problem; one in which anti-LGBT hate is the root cause.

For many, abuse online and offline cannot be separated, as the two are used in ammunition together. For Laura, a victim of an LGBT hate crime in Mali this is strongly the case, as her physical attack was recorded and is still being spread around the internet to intimidate her 2 years later. The link between online abuse and physical violence may seem obvious to some, however Police struggle to follow up on claims of online abuse. Lee, the secretary of the national LGBT police network, explains “Some things are proving a lot more difficult for us to take forward, especially with online hate, such as on Twitter … It’s very difficult to get that user account from Twitter because it’s based in the US so it’s very difficult for us to prosecute.”

The experiences of LGBTQ+ women online

Trolls find comfort behind their screens, as well as sexists and homophobes. With this online barrier, we see outrageous comments being made as there are no consequences for their ignorance.

Social Media Manager at myGwork and Founder of Unite UK, Charlotte Summers has gained a following across social media sharing her thoughts, feelings and life online. For the most part, it’s very rewarding and she’s created an online LGBTQ+ safe space for those in need of support. But as ever, there are always negatives and recently she’s found a spike in homophobia and graphic content across her platforms.

Those may question the correlation between COVID-19 and online harassment. But when we look at the rise in domestic violence cases and childline reporting a spike in demand for their services, we realise that COVID-19 is creating a toxic environment for those who are vulnerable and a minority.

With a reach of over 46,000 followers, Charlotte has shared her experience with how COVID-19 is contributing to online hate crimes.

“It’s hard to pinpoint when the influx of homophobia and graphic content started, but more so recently I’m noticing a huge spike in the number of “trolls” we encounter on a daily basis. From transphobic to lesphobic comments and direct messages that consist of unsolicited pictures, it’s becoming a worry that homophobes are targeting LGBTQ+ accounts.”

“The effects of this mentally are huge. I’ve started to change the type of content I post and monitor my social media accounts to ensure any hate that does appear is quickly deleted to protect young LGBTQ+ members. Not to say we’re the only accounts experiencing online hate crimes, many of my friends are noticing graphic accounts follow and interact with their content.”

“In order to protect ourselves, we’re reducing the amount of LGBTQ+ content shared, and many accounts have gone private to ensure they’re not at risk of enduring homophobic content.”

Charlotte Summers, Social Media Manager at myGwork and founder of Unite UK

The relationship between COVID-19, online hate and physical violence

COVID-19 has created a wave of new social and economic problems, with many witnessing blatant racism towards the Asian community, witnesses have reported adults coughing at young adults, name-calling as well as online racial abuse.

This is happening on a global scale, in New York, an Asian woman was attacked by a group of teenagers stating she caused coronavirus. Whilst in Birmingham, a Chinese student’s jaw was dislocated whilst he was attacked to racial taunts.

On LGBTQ+ dating apps such as Grindr, there also has been a wave of discrimination to those in the Asian Community.

On top of this, across the globe, we are seeing many leaders use the Coronavirus to hide their blatantly homophobic views.