Globally, an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ intolerance is impacting individuals and communities both online and off. The digital rights community has observed an uptick in censorship of LGBTQ+ websites as well as troubling attempts by several countries to pass explicitly anti-LGBTQ+ bills restricting freedom of expression and privacy—bills that also fuel offline intolerance against LGBTQI+ people, and force LGBTQI+ individuals to self-censor their online expression to avoid being profiled, harassed, doxxed, or criminally prosecuted.
LGBTQ+ researchers and advocates have also noted an increase in threats of violence and hate speech targeted at LGBTQ+ individuals and communities, ever increasingly with the intention of stifling trans rights and canceling drag events. These orchestrated online campaigns—often fueled by the far right—have proliferated in connection with surge of bills attacking LGBTQ+ rights. In the U.S., a report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and Human Rights Campaign tracked a 406% increase in tweets connecting LGBTQ+ communities to “grooming” in the month after the “Don’t Say Gay” bill passed in March 2022. Moreover, earlier this year, ILGA Europe reported online hate speech as a serious issue in Armenia, Austria, Latvia, Montenegro, and Romania.
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