New Insights from Born This Way Foundation: Rural LGBTQ+ Youth Need Digital Lifelines

In June, Hopelabs and Born This Way Foundation released a groundbreaking report: Exploring Pride and Support of LGBTQ+ Young People in Rural Communities. Pulling from a sample of nearly 1,300 LGBTQ+ young people between the ages of 15 and 24, the research shines a critical spotlight on the lived experiences of rural LGBTQ+ youth in rural America. At a time where the rights of LGBTQ+ people – especially youth – face mounting political hostility, this research is a timely and powerful reminder of how essential safe, supportive digital environments are. 

—

The report affirmed what LGBTQ+ advocates and organizations like ours have long known to be true about digital spaces: they are critical means of support, community, and resources, especially for young LGBTQ+ people. According to the report, 76% of rural LGBTQ+ young people said they give support to others online several times a month or more, more than their urban and suburban counterparts (70%). Similarly, 57% of rural LGBTQ+ young people reported receiving support from others online several times a month or more, also higher than the 51% reported by peers in more populated areas. 

At the same time, rural LGBTQ+ young people described having fewer supportive offline spaces. When asked about their perception of LGBTQ+ support, rural LGBTQ+ young people reported feeling that only 13% of their broader offline community was supportive of LGBTQ+ people (compared to 35% of suburban/urban respondents) and only 47% of the people they live with as being supportive (compared to 61% of suburban/urban respondents). However, a staggering 99% of rural LGBTQ+ young people reported perceiving their online friends as supportive of LGBTQ+ people. 

For rural LGBTQ+ young people, digital spaces offer a bridge into a world where they can be seen, accepted, and safe, regardless of where they may be physically. As put by one respondent,  “living in a small town with a very small percentage of Queer people in the population is a lonely, frustrating life to live. Getting to talk with other Queer people online helps me interact with my community when there aren’t any physically here.” This report shows us that by ensuring rural LGBTQ+ youth have access to digital spaces, connection and community will always be within reach, regardless of how isolated they may feel physically.

—

These themes strongly echo the findings from LGBT Tech’s own recent polling report, ctrl+alt+lgbt: Digital Access, Usage, and Experiences of the LGBTQ+ Community, which surveyed 1,300 LGBTQ+ adults nationwide. Our polling found that 61% of LGBTQ+ users cited finding support and community related to LGBTQ+ identity as a reason for joining digital platforms, and 64% reported joining to connect with LGBTQ+ people they didn’t have access to offline. Further, 70% of LGBTQ+ respondents reported being open to all or most of their online community, with that number growing to 83% when looking specifically at transgender adults.

Looking at these numbers in tandem, it becomes increasingly clear that digital platforms are being used to connect with supportive communities, especially for those who are in physical environments where finding those spaces offline may be more challenging. 

—

In a world in which offline environments – especially in more geographically rural or isolated communities – are increasingly hostile towards LGBTQ+ identities, ensuring that LGBTQ+ young people have access to platforms on which they feel seen and supported by nearly everyone can make a world of difference to young people attempting to explore and understand their identity. 

We applaud Hopelabs and Born This Way Foundation for their incredible research, and look forward to seeing continued work at the intersection of LGBTQ+ rural youth and digital communities.