I am going to drop some T on you that you may or may not realize. No one, and I mean absolutely no one, other than others like us are interested in or will put out the kind of content that we want to see. Nor will they put out content that accurately represents who we are. I really hope this is not a shock, but if it is how are we going to react? The answer is simple, we need to start putting out and consuming content that does come from our community. That does not mean we cannot consume content from other places, but we need to be the ones supporting others like us and what they produce. Where are LGBTQQ content creators?
Okay, for some dark business. If you Google LGBTQ content creators, the entire first page is about lawsuits around YouTube and content creators. You are saying, “Keith, you just told us that we need to create and support LGBTQ content creators but one of the biggest platforms is embroiled in a lawsuit with their LGBTQ content creators. WTF?” Yes, that is true but the darkness behind this story is because of how LGBTQ issues are still viewed in most of the world and YES here in our own country. We cannot even get this administration to solidify protection status for transgender people, so its no surprise that YouTube has issues with demonetizing LGBTQ content. After all, they use AI to search for terms that may be offensive. For a deep dive into this lawsuit and how it works, I strongly suggest you check out this video by Nerd City. They go into the how and why of this lawsuit and how YouTube searching for the terms.
This, however, should not deter you. It is absolutely important for each of our voices to be heard. Activism is a way for us to do that and why not use the available digital platforms to do it. In the past we had groups like Radical Faeries and ACT UP! That were there for knocking down the barriers and putting out rights into the faces of those who sought to undermine us. While they are still there, the means of reaching people has evolved in so many ways. I would say that most of us consume content off YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, to only name a few. On the opposite side of that coin, we are watching LGBTQ publications dwindle to nonexistence because of how we now consume information in relation to the past. Attentions spans are much shorter and fewer people actually sit down to read the way people have done historically.
Because these things have dramatically changed, so does the avenues we need to seek for creating content. When I was a kid, I did not have access to the immenseness that is the internet of today. If I wanted to make content for people to consume, my options were limited. I would have had to go to school for journalism, film making, or whatever medium I wanted to create. Then I would have to apply for jobs to get experience to be able to make that content or even better get lucky enough to land a gig with an LGBTQ group and go from there. Today, you only need a laptop or a cellphone to start creating content.
We absolutely cannot let the system be the guide for us wanting to do what we feel passionate about. IF we want to change the way the search engines like Google and YouTube work, we need to increase out number to get our content out there. As our numbers increase and people start consuming what we create, we can start shaping the minds of the masses and start changing the systems that often hold us in place.
My first actual blog I did that was actual content was a sex help blog. Now, I am not a doctor or a therapist, but I am a gay man that realized we did not have the best means of educating LGBTQ people about our sex lives. Sure, you can argue that America itself is not the best in educating anyone in sexual education and that is true. But teach LGBTQ people about our sexual activities is much worse. I used my experiences, reviewing products, and getting needed information from professionals out to the those that needed it. I focused on the small town I lived in because that was all knew. That blog was easily ten years ago. I have since moved on to talking about a wider range of LGBTQ issues. Am I the best writer? No, but I have always wanted to be written in my voice in a no nonsense, down to earth manner. And now, the YouTube channel that I am doing is working in the same fashion.
Yes, there are massive amounts of content creators out there, is that a reason to not do it? Fuck no! That is all the more reason you NEED to be doing it. Each of us is different that the next LGBTQ person. If we all use that excuse, then there could potentially be no creators out there. We also need to be the support system for those that are creating. Subscribe to their work, like their posts, share them on all our social media, that is what is important. That is what heterosexuals do and at this moment, heteronormative, cisgender, white content is the largest content base on the interwebs. Guess what, we are the only ones that can change that.
The time is now, and the person is you. Get out there and start creating, share your voice. You have to be the engine of change for our community. Get involved and share ideas of content you would like to see. If creating isn’t for you, then work with others to shape the kind of content we need to see. How can you be the next LGBTQ content creator?
Gay in the CLE 