Affirming Trans Rights: Oppression and Resiliency in LGBTQ Digital Activism

Author: Samantha Boragine

Field of Study: Arts and Humanities

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Alexandra Moore

Easel: 76

Timeslot: Morning

Abstract: Social media can build community and empower individuals to speak freely, but does it continue to do so when those in power disagree with the message? The current U.S. administration, led by President Trump, aimed executive orders at transgender people (ex. only recognizing two sexes fixed at birth, defunding programs promoting “gender ideology”, defunding gender-affirming care) in order to delegitimize and demonize their existence. Following this trend, corporately owned social media platforms such as Facebook changed their content moderation policies. Despite this, LGBTQ activists continue to promote and affirm their right to existence, often utilizing open source platforms such as Mastodon. By examining corporate ownership of social media versus Fedivrse or open-source platforms and their effects on Trans and LGBTQ activism in the U.S. over the past year, this paper hopes to understand how social media can be a tool for resilience as well as oppression.