Harassment & Safety Online: LGBTQ+ Voices on Misinformation and Digital Harm

LGBTQ+ individuals navigate an increasingly complex online landscape: one where online connection can be life-affirming, but also deeply unsafe.

According to our recent polling, LGBTQ+ adults report widespread exposure to harassment, misinformation, and harmful content online, underscoring the urgent need for strong protections, accountability, and digital literacy in our connected world.

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Misinformation in LGBTQ+ Digital Life

Digital misinformation is a persistent presence that often targets LGBTQ+ people directly. Over half of LGBTQ+ adults report encountering anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation shared by public figures, politicians, or celebrities. Alarmingly, 31% have witnessed it coming from close friends or family members, and 29% have seen it shared by acquaintances.

The experience is even more acute for transgender individuals. Seventy-nine percent of transgender respondents reported seeing anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation from public figures, while 75% have seen it shared by strangers. These numbers rise to 41% for close friends or family, and 45% for acquaintances, meaning nearly half of transgender respondents see misinformation circulating within their personal networks. Just 9% of transgender respondents said they had not seen anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation online, a stark contrast to the 27% reported by respondents overall. This gap highlights a troubling disconnect: members of the broader LGBTQ+ community may be less likely to recognize misinformation even when it disproportionately harms their most vulnerable peers.

Perceived Safety vs. Experienced Risk

Online spaces can be both a refuge and a battleground. Sixty-eight percent of LGBTQ+ adults report having experienced anti-LGBTQ+ bullying or harassment online, with 45% experiencing it frequently. By contrast, just 41% of U.S. adults report any experience with online harassment, and only 25% have faced more severe forms, highlighting the disproportionately high levels of harm that LGBTQ+ people face online.

Similar patterns emerge in offline environments. Sixty-five percent of LGBTQ+ adults report harassment in physical spaces such as workplaces, schools, or public venues, with 38% encountering it frequently. For transgender individuals, these experiences are pervasive. Over 90% have experienced online harassment, with 74% saying it happens frequently. Eighty-three percent have faced harassment in person, and 54% say it occurs frequently. These elevated rates illustrate how digital spaces often mirror the hostility of the physical world, and why digital safety and platform accountability are vital LGBTQ+ equity issues.

Despite the high incidence of online harassment, LGBTQ+ people often feel safer online than in real-world environments. Eighty-five percent of LGBTQ+ respondents say they feel safe in online spaces, with 39% describing themselves as very safe. By contrast, only 79% feel safe in physical settings (31% very safe).

While 82% of transgender adults feel safe online, just 34% describe that feeling as strong. In physical spaces, only 62% feel safe at all, and a mere 10% say they feel very safe. These disparities suggest that the perceived safety of online spaces is closely tied to the degree of control users can exert over their identity and visibility.

You can further explore these and other findings in our full 2025 report: ctrl+alt+lgbt: Digital Access, Usage, and Experiences of the LGBTQ+ Community.