LGBT Tech Celebrates the Launch of CODI: A Coalition on Digital Impact

LGBT Tech is proud to be a founding member of the Coalition on Digital Impact (CODI) - a global alliance launched on May 20, 2025, to create a more inclusive, multilingual Internet that reflects the full diversity of the world's languages and cultures.

Announced at the Universal Acceptance Day event hosted by ICANN, CODI brings together Internet pioneers, advocacy organizations, and technology leaders, including Identity Digital, Internet Society, American Library Association, Public Knowledge, Center for Democracy & Technology, and many others, to ensure the web is accessible and usable by everyone, in their own language.

Although over 7,000 languages exist globally, only a handful dominate the digital landscape. As technology, especially AI, advances rapidly, the risk of erasing underrepresented languages grows, widening digital divides and marginalizing communities who already face barriers to access.

CODI’s first initiatives include:

• A multi-phase study on the intersection of language and Internet access

• A monitoring system to track which platforms correctly recognize internationalized domain names and longer top-level domains

At LGBT Tech, we know digital inclusion is more than just connectivity, it’s about meaningful access. That includes the ability for LGBTQ+ people, especially those from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, to navigate and express themselves online in the languages that reflect their identities and experiences.

As a coalition, CODI will also:

• Develop multilingual digital resources

• Launch a fellowship program to connect experts with on-the-ground access efforts

• Run education campaigns on the barriers to digital participation

• Advocate for Universal Acceptance (UA) standards across platforms

To learn more or to join the movement, visit codi.global.

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LGBT Tech remains committed to ensuring the digital world is accessible, inclusive, and safe for LGBTQ+ individuals and other marginalized communities. As part of CODI, we’ll continue to fight for an Internet that celebrates diversity in language, identity, and access.