080 - You Deserve To Feel Safe Online
“Everyone deserves privacy, dignity, and protection online. Technology should help people connect and thrive — not make them feel threatened or isolated.”
The digital world has a funny way of making us feel like we’re completely invisible behind a screen, but the truth is quite the opposite. Every time we join a new group, browse for resources, or chat with folks online, we are interacting with a system that should inherently respect who we are.
For the 2SLGBTQI+ community, digital spaces aren't just a convenience—they are lifeline connections to chosen family, affirming healthcare, and spaces where we can simply breathe and be ourselves. Because these corners of the internet hold our genuine stories, safety and comfort aren't just technical features; they are foundational to our emotional well-being. Everyone deserves to look for community, explore their identity, and share their life online without the nagging fear of being targeted, judged, or exposed.
Reclaiming your right to a peaceful online experience doesn't mean you need to become a cybersecurity expert overnight. It starts with building a personal boundary around how you interact with your apps.
You can easily cultivate a digital environment that prioritizes your peace of mind with a few everyday habits:
Own Your Visibility: Dive into the privacy settings of your most-used social media apps. Take five minutes to toggle your accounts to "Private" or restrict who can send you direct messages. You get to decide who enters your space.
Keep Core Details Off Your Profile: Avoid putting your exact location, workplace, or full name in public bio sections. Let people get to know your personality before they get access to your real-world coordinates.
Trust Your Timing: If an online space or a specific conversation starts to feel draining or hostile, you have full permission to hit the log-out button. Taking a step back is a powerful way to look after yourself.
You have every right to take up space online on your own terms. Protecting your boundaries simply ensures that your digital world remains the welcoming, uplifting place it is meant to be.
What Now
If you are a member of the 2SLGBTQI+ community looking to protect your privacy, build digital boundaries, and ensure your online environments remain safe, affirming spaces, take these proactive actions:
Audit and Restrict Social Media Visibility: Take a few minutes to dive into the privacy and security settings of your most-used platforms. Toggle your accounts to "Private" or "Friends Only," and restrict direct messaging and tagging permissions so that only people you follow can enter your personal space.
Minimize Public Identifiers: Review your public bios, headers, and profiles. Remove specific, real-world coordinates such as your exact workplace, school, neighborhood, or full legal name, allowing people to get to know your personality before they gain access to your physical location.
Practice Mindful Disengagement: Establish strict emotional boundaries with your devices. If a conversation, thread, or online platform begins to feel hostile, draining, or unsafe, give yourself full permission to hit the log-out button, close the app, and take a step back to protect your well-being.
Consult Specialized LGBTQ+ Digital Safety Resources: To implement more comprehensive security protections against doxxing, harassment, or data tracking, consult free open-source playbooks designed by tech advocacy experts. Review the digital safety toolkits provided by the GLAAD Social Media Safety Program or explore modules from the Digital Defense Fund.
Connect with Vetted Peer and Crisis Support Circles: If online hostility or a breach of privacy leaves you feeling anxious, isolated, or overwhelmed, do not navigate it alone. Younger individuals can access secure, moderated community spaces and 24/7 counseling through The Trevor Project, while adults can utilize confidential peer support lines via the LGBT National Help Center.
Local Resources
Queer Youth Resource Center (QYRC) https://www.qyrcvancouverwa.org/
(360) 831-0745
Akin (Triple Point Youth Program) https://www.akinfamily.org/
(360) 695-1325
YWCA Clark County https://www.ywcaclarkcounty.org/
(360) 695-0501
