ILGA World report highlights digital divide impact on LGBTQ+ people

A new ILGA World report has found the digital divide impacts LGBTQ+ people in specific ways, and that listening to their stories is essential to building meaningful digital inclusion for all.

The report, titled “Accessing Connection,” is the first of its kind to look at the complex interplay between disparities in digital access and the unique experiences of LGBTQ+ people. Researchers mapped the complexities of the digital divide across perspectives of gender, race and migration status, geographic regions, urban-rural contexts, indigeneity and disability, according to ‘Washington Blade’.

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“LGBTI people have found the online space to be revolutionary,” said ILGA World Communications Manager Daniele Paletta, who edited the report. “However, these possibilities are not equally available for everyone. To date, 2.6 billion people across the world remain offline.”

The report found that LGBTQ+ people face a number of barriers to digital access, including:

• The cost of data, location and having suitable devices and infrastructures

• Economic precarity due to difficulties finding employment, harassment, societal stigma and hostile legislation

• Online platforms that are not designed for everyone in mind, such as those that lack inclusive design practices or that predominate in a few languages

• Fear of online harassment and violence

• Surveillance and limitations to freedom of expression

Despite these challenges, LGBTQ+ organisations are working to find ways to connect with their communities online. The report highlights a number of examples of how organisations are using technology to promote digital inclusion, such as:

• Promoting rural access to internet services and digital security training

• Mobilising to fight against hostile legislation

• Translating LGBTQ+-related materials into local languages

• Harnessing the relative safety of online spaces to conduct work or gather the community

“We know that being online is not the only way to serve our populations,” said ILGA World Co-Secretary General Luz Elena Aranda. “And yet, ensuring meaningful and safe connectivity could open up a whole new avenue of opportunities, especially for those whose voices the digital divide contributes to maintaining unheard. Reaching out to those systemically marginalized — by the digital divide or otherwise — remains at the core of the promise to leave no one behind.”

The “Accessing Connection” report is a call to action, urging stakeholders to recognise and address the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ+ people in the digital age and championing a more inclusive, connected future for all.

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