The LGBTQ+ guide
to online safety.
We at vpnMentor conducted a survey in which we asked 695 LGBTQ+ people worldwide about their experiences online as they relate to their sexual orientation and gender identity. The results – referenced throughout this article – illuminated the unique challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community.
Here are some of our key findings:+
Finding Community Online
We at vpnMentor conducted a survey in which we asked 695 LGBTQ+ people worldwide about their experiences online
Kennedy
75 %
Trump
25 %
Key findings
We at vpnMentor conducted a survey in which we asked 695 LGBTQ+ people worldwide about their experiences online
How to Not Get Hacked
Unfortunately, it’s not just physical theft that could expose your private photos and information. Hackers are becoming incredibly sophisticated and can find your intimate information without you even knowing it.
Cyberbullying on Social Media
Today social media is our main form of communication on the internet, and for LGBTQ+ people – especially those who are not supported by their families or friends – social media may be the only place they can find a loving, supportive community.
Unfortunately, social media is also rife with bullying. Studies have even shown that, due to the fact that not having to face their victim in person emboldens many abusers, bullying is much more widespread online than in real life.
Research has also shown that cyberbullying causes depression, and many victims turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as drugs, alcohol, and self-injury.
Today social media is our main form of communication on the internet, and for LGBTQ+ people – especially those who are not supported by their families or friends – social media may be the only place they can find a loving, supportive community.
Unfortunately, social media is also rife with bullying. Studies have even shown that, due to the fact that not having to face their victim in person emboldens many abusers, bullying is much more widespread online than in real life.
Research has also shown that cyberbullying causes depression, and many victims turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as drugs, alcohol, and self-injury.
Other Ways to Silence Haters
When blocking someone online is not an option, there are other steps you can take to limit your exposure to them. Any of the following tactics can help you take control online:
Dating While Queer
Online dating is a huge part of modern relationships. Apps, dating websites, and social media all provide a platform for folks of any gender or orientation to meet, hook up, or fall in love.
Many of the people we interviewed who are in happy, long-term relationships met their partners on the web.
Ronnie found the love of her life online. “Once I decided to just talk to someone who I had judged was way out of my league. After a couple of weeks she asked me on a date […] now 6 months later, I’m so unbelievably in love.”
Unfortunately, however, online dating sites can be hives for sexual harassment.
In the survey we conducted, more than 50% of respondents who identify as gay, lesbian, queer, asexual, or bisexual/pansexual suffered sexual harassment online.
Similar studies revealed that sexual harassment affects a third of LGBTQ youth – four times as many as cis-hetero youth.
How to Not Get Hacked
Key findings
We at vpnMentor conducted a survey in which we asked 695 LGBTQ+ people worldwide about their experiences online
Tittle |
Tittle |
Tittle |
Tittle |
Tittle |
Tittle |
Tittle |
Tittle |
Tittle |
Tittle |
Tittle |
Tittle |
Tittle |
Tittle |
Tittle |
|
lorem |
lorem |
lorem |
lorem |