Aired May 25, 2023

Building a Resilient Life Through Online Support

Your mental health matters. And there are many things that we can all do to support and protect our own mental well-being. For some LGBTQ+ advocates and organizations, that has meant leaving Twitter for good and instead creating community and making more online spaces that are LGBTQ+ welcoming and affirming.

We hosted a conversation about this article as a part of PFLAG Connects and Something to Talk About Live on Thursday, May 25. Did you miss it? You can still watch it here!

Article: LGBTQ centers leave Twitter following removal of hateful conduct protections

Source: Mashable

Author: Chase DiBenedetto

Questions for Discussion:

1.  Do you (still) use Twitter? Why or why not? If you do, do you feel like the experience has changed in recent months?
2.  Are you a part of any online community spaces where you feel safe, welcomed, and affirmed? What are they? In what ways do you think they support your physical and mental health?
3. What can parents and caregivers do to support LGBTQ+ young people that experience hate and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in online spaces? Is there any way to ensure that young people stay safe online?

Bonus Resources: Check out “There’s a worrying reason why young LGBTQ+ people spend so much time on their phones, study finds” from PinkNews by Emily Chudy and these resources from CenterLink, Q Chat Space, and Springtide Research.

About Our Guests:

Deborah Levine, Chief Program Office, CenterLink | Founder, Q Chat Space

Dr. Angela Patterson, Head Writer and Editor, Springtide Research

Something to Talk About Live is a series designed by PFLAG National’s Straight for Equality program to create conversation about LGBTQ+ issues. Each week we offer an article on LGBTQ+ topics and suggest a few questions you can use to lead a discussion with your ERG, community group, or PFLAG chapter.