LGBT cyberspaces: a need for a holistic investigation

Abstract

Cyberspaces provide many opportunities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth to build social networks, share information, and become more informed about their sexuality without the risk of being ‘outed’. Concurrently, however, there are a myriad of risks that problematize this positive narrative associated with these cyberspaces. There is a scarcity of scholarship in geographical literature about the risks related to youths’ interactions with LGBT cyberspaces. To date, most of the available scholarship pertains to the beneficial outcomes related to cyberspaces. However, we propose that researchers need to critically investigate the unhealthy behaviors produced by cyberspaces. There are a variety of online communities and websites that provide inaccurate health information, and this could inform poor health decision-making by LGBT youth.

Keywords:

• Cyberspace
• LGBT
• youth
• sexual health
• online interactions
• human–computer interaction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Gay Teen Forum: http://www.gayteenforum.org/; Popular bareback blogs: http://iblastinside.com/; http://rawtop.com/sex/

2. Seroconversion is the scientific term describing the period 1–2 weeks after initial transmission of HIV, and when the antibodies develop and become detectable. However, it can take upwards of 34 days to test as HIV-positive.