Finding LGT Identity Online: A Comparison of Thailand and The United States

• In Event: Roundtable Session (Thurseday I)
  In Refereed Round-Table Session: New and emerging directions in research on SOGIE issues in education

Proposal

The past decade witnessed a dramatic increase in advocacy and scholarship on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) students. In the pursuit of documenting the experiences of LGBTI youth, studies have focused on safety and well-being by conducting national school climate surveys (Kosciw et al., 2012; Pizmony-Levy et al., 2008; Taylor & Peter, 2011; Guasp, 2012). These studies mention that school curriculum often silences or presents biased or inaccurate representations of LGBTI persons. In the absence of quality information in the formal school system, LGBTI youth turn to online platforms to discover and create their identity (GLSEN et al., 2013). Online access is represented in school climate studies as a leading support to increase academic and psychosocial outcomes (i.e. sense of belonging, mental health, and grade point average). However, there is a lacuna of research on how LGBTI youth negotiate and construct their identity in these learning spaces. The intersections of identity and technology are reshaping LGBTI education. Online access has become a primary tool for information and communication for LGBTI youth. This method of learning is unregulated and vastly under researched.

The goal of this paper is to examine how LGBTI cultural identity formation among youth is shaped by technology across cultures. We will compare Thailand and The United States, often seen as having open discussions and active LGBTI advocacy. Much of the existing information on LGBTI topics lies in the West, as referenced by the countries above that have conducted school climate research. Therefore, it is important to examine how this phenomenon is shaped across borders and the accuracy of representations produced.

We collected data in three phases. The first phase of data collection examines termoniology that people use to identify themselves (gay, lesbian, and transgender) on Google Image searches. The researchers extract keywords that are presented in the image (i.e. rainbow, romantic, white) using visual ethonography and presents a themes across these images. The second phase of data collections is a thematic analysis examining these keywords that arise to perform in-depth analysis of a particularly representative pictures from each code. The final phase will interview LGBTI people to discover how these images may have affected their self-impression, coming out experience, relationship to the LGBTI community, and overall identify formation. Our team has a goal to communicate directly with Google staff in order to generate a more diverse representation of content through adjustments to its algorithm.

This proposal answers the LGBTI/SOGIE SIG’s call. Last year’s roundtable urged for more research on online spaces and how the current generation forms their identity. It answers the call to examine how LGBTI rights circulate networks on local and global levels. This paper also discusses how SOGIE histories are represented, through unregulated ways, in public spaces. Sustainability in education involves inclusivity of all students. Attention needs to be paid on measuring the current experiences of LGBTI youth in all aspects of education. In our creation of a free and equal future for LGBTI youth, this research reflects the need for modern approaches, modalities, and spaces of learning.

Author

• Cody Freeman, Faculty of Learning Sciences & Education, Thammasat University