LGBTQIA community as an information community
I've chosen to focus on the LGBTQIA community as an information community. The 2000 census suggests that some 2% of the adult population of the United States falls into this category, and this number may well be low due to underreporting. Bigotry against this population persists and undercuts the significant efforts at organization and advocacy by members of this group. I should more appropriately say- these groups. LGBTQIA represents a diverse coalition of non-heterosexual and non-cisgender individuals whose identity, gender history, gender presentation and/or sexual orientation differs from the cisgender heterosexual norm. This group thus contains a vast array of individuals, from a variety of backgrounds. Members of these groups come from all races, classes, and geographic locations. To say this group has diverse needs is a vast understatement.
According to Fisher and Durrance, these five characteristics are the hallmarks of an information community:
1. Exploit the information sharing capabilities of technology.
This is essential to meet several very specific needs for this group. Susan Schaller conducted interviews with LGBTQIA college students in order to better understand their information needs. She suggests “a need for more accessibility and promotion of services but on the other hand, a strong need for privacy and confidentiality exists” (2011).
LGBTQIA youth are an incredibly vulnerable group- overrepresented among homeless youth, they experience higher rates of physical and sexual violence in comparison to straight and cisgender counterparts, have higher rates of depression and are at greater risk of suicidality. (Keuroghlian, 2014). Their need for information is high, yet they also must navigate potential conflicts regarding confidentiality. Young people might choose to remain closeted for safety reasons, depending on the home and community they must navigate. While college students have a greater degree of independence, many of them remain reliant on their family of origin. They might rightly fear the potential consequences of coming out.
Durrance and Fisher write about technology, and specifically internet resources as providing a location or place for sharing information- one that offers users anonymity. For LGBTQIA youth, both of those elements might be seen as especially useful. Youth may not have access to physical spaces that meet their information needs, and they might need to remain anonymous for safety reasons.
2. Emphasize collaboration among diverse groups
The LGBTQIA community is itself incredibly diverse. There is a world of difference between the experiences of various members of this group. Yet the need to advocate with and for others marginalized in similar ways for similar reasons unites what might be better understood as a loose coalition. Members of these groups act collaboratively to advocate for civil rights, battle discrimination and provide practical resources for things like housing and healthcare.
3. Anticipate and often form around people's needs to access and use information
This community includes people with varied and specific information needs. Schaller discusses the "unique legal, financial, social, cultural, interpersonal, and religious information needs” of college students in this community (2011). Schaller describes a workshop for college students regarding employment which outlines laws of specific interest to LGBTQIA people. She describes a need to seek information regarding healthcare coverage for a partner, potential discrimination against a job seeker, and other, related information. I've alluded to the housing and mental health needs of LGBTQIA youth. In discussing collections aimed at LGBTQIA youth, Alexander and Miselis state that “positive and realistic portrayals of GLBTQ characters in fiction for teens can provide a valuable resource which can help reduce feelings of isolation and despair. Nonfiction books can help GLBTQ library users learn about their history and culture, which is "crucial to establishing a positive, healthy identity" (2007).
The variety of resources reflects the diversity of the community. There are resources preserving the history of the transgender people, like this one: https://www.nps.gov/articles/lgbtqtheme-transgender.htm websites that seek to intervene in the lives of LGBTQIA youth who may be experiencing depression or suicidal ideation, like this one https://itgetsbetter.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA-onjBRDSARIsAEZXcKYRW7pQ8pljnpsdU4T1FWdyOIx8uQY-Bb3l1nio2S41521jZExSzbEaApp-EALw_wcB organizations that seek to advocate for LGBTQIA elders, like this one https://www.sageusa.org/what-we-do/advocacy-for-lgbt-elders/ . A variety of needs are met by a great variety of resources.
4. Remove barriers to information about acquiring needed services and participating in civic life
Alexander and Miselis contend that, “misinformation and prejudice about the GLBTQ population create the biggest obstacles to meeting their information needs” (2007). A search for local LGBT databases led here: https://lgbtq.smcgov.org/san-francisco-lgbtq-resources and here: https://lgbtq.smcgov.org/san-mateo-county-lgbtq-resources
Resources listed here include organizations that support youth such as Communities United Against Violence (CUAV), Queer Women of Color Media Access Project (QWOCMAP), which hosts local film festivals screening the work of queer women of color, Brown Boi Project, which supports trans men of color and trans masculine individuals of color. These are only a few examples, the purpose of these collections of resources is to remove barriers to access and allow individuals to seek out the supports they need.
http://www.brownboiproject.org/
5 “Information communities foster social connectedness within the larger community.”
Preserving memory and history is a powerful way to foster connection. Another collaborative effort marginalized groups must make is an effort to preserve their history from purposeful erasure. I have long been interested in collections of LGBTQIA history. Here's something I found while searching for local LGBTQIA history. I live in the San Francisco Bay area, specifically in Oakland, Ca. The White Horse Inn claims to be the oldest gay bar in continuous operation in the United States. Here's a very short podcast about it: http://thememorypalace.us/2016/06/a-white-horse/
Another obvious example is the organizing around Pride month activities, literally bringing community members from all these groups to the same location to foster connection and community.
References
Alexander, L., & Miselis, S. (2007). Barriers to GLBTQ Collection Development and Strategies for Overcoming Them. Counterpoise,11(3/4), 73-79.
Fisher, K. E., & Durrance, J. C. (2003). Information communities. In K. Christensen, & D. Levinson (Eds.), Encyclopedia of community: From the village to the virtual world. (pp. 658-661). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. http://sk.sagepub.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/reference/community/n248.xml
Keuroghlian, A., Shtasel, D., Bassuk, E., Barbarin, Oscar A., & Smyth, Larry. (2014). Out on the Street: A Public Health and Policy Agenda for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth Who Are Homeless. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 84(1), 66-72.
Schaller, Susann. (2011). Information Needs of LGBTQ College Students.(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Queer)(Author abstract)(Report). Libri: International Journal of Libraries and Information Services, 61(2), 100-115.
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