LGBTQ+ Engagement with Hybrid Spaces: Perspectives on Expression, Safety, and Quality of Life

• In Event: Contesting Queer Spaces

Abstract

Online and in-real-life public spaces can present challenges and opportunities for LGBTQ+ individuals and communities. LGBTQ+ peoples are particularly vulnerable to harassment and vilification online based on their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and which have recently translated into an increase in in-person attacks. Online environments can also provide safe ‘pockets’, where identities can be explored through sending and responding to social signals. However, less well understood are the opportunities for safe expression that might be realised in ‘hybrid’ sites, where the use of technology in public spaces bridges the online and in-real-life worlds. Amid a wave of online anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation and disinformation, there is an urgent need to conceptualise these issues and to develop authentic, inclusive communication that maximises LGBTQ+ agency. Applying a digiqueer analysis to the contradictions within technology, identity, and justice, the article advances understanding of how LGBTQ+ people engage with urban hybrid spaces through a case study from Newcastle, Australia, and ways to enhance expression that do not negatively impact quality of life.

Author

• Justin Ellis, University of Newcastle