Growing Up LGBTQ+ Online

2017

When approaching topics such as adolescent sexuality, technology, and social media, it is sometimes tempting for adults, even sexuality educators, to focus solely on the Internet Age’s harmful and problematic byproducts for adolescent development and sexuality. In fact, hardly a newsstand exists without glossy-paged headlines screaming for attention with the threats of cyber-bullying, sexting, and revenge porn.

A story less often told is how the Internet, while not without hazards, is also a force for good on adolescent development and sexuality. This is true perhaps for no other teens more than for LGBTQ+ teens, who face the additional burden of navigating culture, on- and offline, laden with homophobia, transphobia, and heterosexism. But this, too, is a story worth telling–and that’s why we created the infographic below.

Contributing Staff