While Pride Month may have drawn to a close, the harsh reality faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community continues unabated - particularly in the realm of online spaces. We must remember that the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community are not confined to a single month of activism and parades; rather, they persist throughout the year. As the rainbow flags are lowered and the calendar flips to the next month, we risk losing mainstream media's focus on the issues at hand, even as online hate speech continues to proliferate.
Dr. Susan Cheng, Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, emphasizes this point. "As Pride Month concludes," she says, "public health practitioners and scholars, community members, and leaders, must remain committed to supporting the free and equitable access to rights and privileges of members of the LGBTQ+ community the other eleven months of the year."
Indeed, this commitment to safeguarding the rights and privileges of LGBTQ+ individuals cannot be a fleeting, month-long event. Instead, it should be an enduring endeavor that recognizes the year-round challenges faced by this community. The fight against online hate speech, in particular, cannot and should not be confined to a 30-day window.
Source: Online Hate And Harassment On The Rise—LGBTQ+ Community Among The Most Impacted (forbes.com)
