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Katharine Coomer Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1103 September 10, 2013 Technology: Is it Helping or Hindering the LGBTQ Community? Introduction/Overview I will research the correlation between the evolution o technolog! an" social me"ia with the a"vancement o the #$%&' communit!( M! senior !ear o high school I also "i" a ma)or research pro)ect on the #$%&' communit!( *owever, in that pro)ect I e+amine" the ps!cholog! o se+ualit!( I investigate" wh! people were ,a rai"- o homose+uals an" also the ps!cholog! behin" homose+ualit!( I interviewe" various people that i"enti ie" as members o the #$%&' communit! an" as.e" them to e+plain their se+ualit! to me /onl! i the! were com ortable "oing so0( 1uring the course o m! investigating, I saw that each generation e+perience" "i erent issues( &hose that I spo.e with that were in their si+ties an" seventies, an" woul" have been in their earl! twenties when attempting to "etermine their se+ualit!, were "eprive" o in ormation( Man! coul" not i"enti ! as a homose+ual because the! "i" not .now what it meant to be a homose+ual( &hose that I spo.e with that were in their thirties an" orties primaril! ha" a "i icult time ma.ing their love" ones un"erstan" or accept their se+ualit!( 2n" those that I spo.e with that were aroun" m! age primaril! struggle" with various orms o bull!ing an" "iscrimination( 3or this pro)ect, I woul" li.e to see how technolog! an" social me"ia have contribute" to the changing problems that those in the #$%&' communit! have ha" to ace( &o begin m! anal!sis I wrote "own some points that I .new technolog! ha" e ecte"( &he irst was the

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abolition o homose+ualit! as a mental illness( It was not until 1456 that homose+ualit! was remove" rom the 1iagnostic Statistic Manual /1SM0 an" was no longer re erre" to as a mental illness( &o e"ucate m!sel about this shi t, I visite" the 2merican 7s!chological 2ssociation8s /2720 website( &he 272 is in charge o e"iting an" up"ating the 1SM( I also visite" the ollowing website to rea" acts about homose+ualit! an" mental health: www(ps!cholog!(uc"avis(e"u( I then loo.e" or stu"ies that ha" been con"ucte" to "etermine the relationship between the #$%& communit! an" technolog! an" oun" a "issertation on a stu"! that was con"ucte" in &ur.e!( I oun" the "issertation at "ocs(lib(pur"ue(e"u an" it ocuse" on a stu"! in which technolog! was integrate" into the &ur.ish ,lesbiga!- communit! to see the e ects( 9ne o the main assertions rom the stu"! is that technolog! has enable" people to properl! "etermine their se+ualit! "ue to the amount o in ormation that is available( M! topic has a comple+ element because technolog! has both helpe" an" hin"ere" the progress o the #$%&' communit!( &echnolog! allows or in ormation to be instantaneous( &echnolog! is also a portal that is utili:e" or bull!ing an" harassing those in the #$%&' communit!( &echnolog! has allowe" or the sprea" o in ormation pertaining to the #$%&' communit! but that in ormation is both help ul an" hurt ul( Some in ormation is simpl! meant to o en" an" hurt those within the communit! an" those that support the communit!(

Initi l In!uiry Question"s#

*ow has the evolution o technolog! an" the intro"uction o social me"ia impacte" the #$%&' communit!; I it were not or technolog!, woul" homose+ualit! still be consi"ere" a mental illness; *ave technolog! an" social me"ia "one more to support the #$%&' communit! or to harm the e orts o the communit!;

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$y Interest in this Topic &his topic is important to me because while wor.ing on m! last pro)ect, I ma"e some promises to the people that helpe" me throughout m! pro)ect( <n ortunatel!, I was unable to .eep those promises because o some personal issues that I ha" to "eal with( %ut I inten" on using the e+ten"e" in=uir! pro)ect to "o what I promise"( I will use this pro)ect to continue m! research an" to continue to in orm people about the #$%& communit!( >hat I alrea"! .now about this topic is ver! generic( I simpl! .now that technolog! has le" to the globali:ation o the #$%&' i"entit!( &echnolog! has allowe" or more in ormation to be accesse" an" release"( I hope to learn more in "epth about the positive an" negative e ects o technolog! on the communit!( 2n" I also hope that I will learn more about the signi icance o technolog! in where the #$%&' communit! stan"s to"a!(

%e&t 'teps &o obtain more in ormation I will utili:e the sources that I "iscovere" while "oing m! preliminar! research but I plan or m! primar! source o in ormation to be the librar!( &here are our boo.s that I plan to rea" as a part o m! research or the pro)ect: Queer Media Images: LGBT Perspectives, Out in the Country: Youth, Media, and Queer isi!i"ity in #ura" $merica, LGBT Transnationa" Identity and the Media, an" It Gets Better% Queer Media Images is about the wa! that me"ia portra!s those that are in the #$%&' communit! an" how that has impacte" the communit!( I have alrea"! rea" the boo. It Gets Better but I want to rea" it again to reac=uaint m!sel with the It $ets %etter 7ro)ect( &he pro)ect was launche" b! 1an Savage an" his husban", &err! Savage an" it is a wa! to reach out to those, particularl! in mi""le an" high school, which i"enti ! as lesbian, ga!, bise+ual, transgen"ere" or =uestioning an" are victims o

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bull!ing( 7eople post vi"eos to @ou&ube an" share their stories an" e+plain that i the! coul" survive the bull!ing than !ou can too( Even those that simpl! support the #$%&' communit! can post vi"eos to inspire people to persevere through the harassment because, ultimatel!, it is worth it( &he message o each vi"eo is that it gets better, things get better an" li e gets better( &he boo. is a compilation o the transcripts o certain vi"eosA those that either ha" the most power ul messages an"B or those that were poste" b! celebrities( I also inten" to urther m! research b! participating in the 7ri"e Club activities( I am alrea"! a member but have not !et been able to atten" a meeting( I am a ver! compassionate person an" the more that I rea" about an" hear about the things that those in the #$%&' communit! have en"ure", the more impassione" I become( &he more inspire" I am to help the cause an" to immerse m!sel in as much in ormation as I can about the issues( &hat is alrea"! what I am "oing with this e+ten"e" in=uir! pro)ect an" I onl! hope that as the semester progresses I will be able to in" a wa! to signi icantl! help those that are struggling within the communit!( I )ust want to ma.e a "i erence(