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Kelsey Gentil
Jennifer Rodrick
QS 115
29 September 2016
How has social media and the internet helped/hindered the acceptance of the queer
identity, and to what extent?
As far as the year we are in now, social media has helped the queer identity and to a great
extent. Why you ask? We live in this society now, where social media is a big part of our lives,
you post daily pictures of what you're doing, eating, exploring, etc. Basically, letting everyone
know what you are doing in your day to day life. Sometimes youd even be surprised by the
things that are posted on peoples Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat. But sometimes by
posting things on social media is a good thing, a resource, support that lets us people express
ourselves through various ways. It lets not only the people from the LGBT community
communicate with other people but also for everyone to do it aswell. Although throughout the
generations it has been difficult to accept the LGBT community so far we have been improving it
with like for example the approval of same sex marriage. We have to stop putting a label on
people, we are all humans, same like one another just have different interests.

Based on celebrities experiences, I have found that although it has taken them some time
to come out to world as who they really are, the technology of social media has helped them
change and shape the way they live their lives. Ellen DeGeneres for example, she first came out
to the world on Oprah Winfrey Show back in February 1997. As she once said It was scary and
crazy and what came out of listening to what I had been saying to myself was, Would I still be
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famous, would they still love me if they knew I was gay? she said. And my fear was that no,
no they wouldnt, and then it made me feel ashamed that I was hiding something. It made me
feel ashamed that I couldnt feel honest and really be who I am, and I just didnt want to pretend
to be somebody else anymore so that people would like me. Like she said she honestly didnt
know what to expect from people finding out that a lesbian woman, because around that time
that she came out it was harder to accept the fact that someone was part of the LGBT community.
She even thought for a second of not saying anything and keeping it to herself. But no, she took
that bigger step and stopped pretending to be someone that she wasnt. But to this day Ellen
DeGeneres is a big iconic people look up for what she did.

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After people having tried various times to have same sex marriage legal it finally got
approved on the 26th of June in 2015. The Supreme Court ruled by a 5-to-4 vote, that the
Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage."This morning, the Supreme Court
recognized that the Constitution guarantees marriage equality. In doing so, they have reaffirmed
that all Americans are entitled to the equal protection of the law; that all people should be treated
equally, regardless of who they are or who they love The Court, in this decision, holds samesex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry in all States. It follows that the Court
also must holdand it now does holdthat there is no lawful basis for a State to refuse to
recognize a lawful same-sex marriage performed in another State on the ground of its same-sex
character Having this law passed it made many people part of the LGBT community feel so
happy and a bit more accepted by the law since they can now get married without being
neglected. This act made many people change their relationship status on Facebook and come
out and state who they really are and also about 6 million users identified as part of the LGBT
community.

Though social media had hindered somewhat the acceptance of the queer identity that it
has kept some people hidden under a shell, afraid to come out because it was so easily to get
judged, especially on social media, it still hasnt stopped people. On a daily basis you see more
and more, members of the community out of the closet and accepted by other people. There is
various resources that people can use through social media to express the way they feel, like
Youtube is known for videos, Twitter is for thoughts and expressions, Instagram and Snapchat is
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for pictures, and Tumblr is for blogs. These apps let people communicate to one another, in
multiple ways without face to face interactions, and let them explore through aspects of being

part of the LGBT community. Sometimes even social media helps gay people come out to the
world, since its over the internet and it easier and better than telling someone in person. In
Samantha DeHaan and Laura E. Kupers article "The Interplay Between Online and Offline
Explorations of Identity, Relationships, and Sex: A Mixed-Methods Study with LGBT Youth",
one participant in the method to find a way that the Internet made communication easier reported
I decided to do it [come out online] because I felt like it would be easier for me to come out to
all of my friends just putting it on there...I felt like I couldnt see they initial reaction so I
wouldnt know how they initially felt and then they could come to me about it on their own
time ...so it would be a smoother process. (Participant 15, Black Male, Age 17) (429). This
explains how it is more helpful and easier for people who are gay and can't express themselves in
person, they do it online, through social media.

I strongly believe that social media has greatly helped people in the LGBT community
and celebrities as well to be be who they are and be comfortable with themselves. They were all
brought to this world the same way, and should never be treated differently. Social media is the
face that has changed that, it has helped people come out of the closet, get marriage for gay
couples approved and build communication and relationships with people. It has also helped
people prove who they are and be proud of it through social media and by what they post

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because as long we have our own account, we are accountable of what we post and can post
whatever. Coming out to the world isnt that hard anymore as it was before because you see this
on a daily basis though social media, since people are more comfortable and cant be neglected
for who they want to be.

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Works Cited
Chen, Joyce. Ellen DeGeneres on Coming Out as Gay: "I Didn't Think I Was
Going to Come Out, Period" usmagazine, http://www.usmagazine.com/celebritynews/news/ellen-degeneres-on-coming-out-as-gay-i-didnt-think-i-was-going-to20152310

Silva, Cristina. Facebook Gay Pride: How LGBT People Are Using Social Media
To Come Out. ibt ,
http://www.ibtimes.com/facebook-gay-pride-how-lgbt-people-are-using-socialmedia-come-out-2143285

DeHaan, Samantha, LauraE Kuper, JoshuaC Magee, Lou Bigelow, and BrianS
Mustanski. "The Interplay Between Online and Offline Explorations of Identity,
Relationships, and Sex: A Mixed-Methods Study with LGBT Youth." Journal of
Sex Research, 50.5 (2013): 421-434.