Campaign to Tackle Homophobia & Transphobia

Throughout July 2020, the Online Hate Prevention Institute (OHPI) will be running a campaign to tackle Homophobia & Transphobia.

OHPI stands against any homophobic & Transphobic speech expressed online: on social media, on discussion platforms, and on commentary sections of online media.

Since 2013, OHPI has produced a number of briefings and commentary on tackling Homophobia & Transphobia.

Join us by taking action! You can help the campaign in a number of ways:

  • Share this article on social media and with people and organisations who would support this work
  • Support and share our fundraiser to further enhance the campaign
  • Report examples of online Homophobia & Transphobia to platforms hosting it (ie. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube)
  • Help us report the items we highlight in campaign articles
  • Anti-hate organisations, particularly in the area of Homophobia & Transphobia, are invited to become supporters of the campaign – we need your logo and an article from you that says who you are and your thoughts / experiences regarding online Homophobia & Transphobia.
  • Companies and foundations are invited to become sponsors, these funds along with donations will be used to take the campaign further.

About the Online Hate Prevention Institute:

The Online Hate Prevention Institute is Australia’s only harm prevention charity dedicated to preventing the harm to people as a result of online hate and extremism. We deal with all forms of online hate and our work on other topics can be accessed from our homepage. Funds from this campaign will be used to tackle online Homophobia & Transphobia. Donations can also be made to support our other campaigns planned for 2020, and general donations are particularly appreciated.

You can also connect with us by joining over 24,000 people who like our Facebook page, following us on Twitter, and joining our mailing list.

Campaign Partners:

Organisations that work to combat Homophobia & Transphobia are invited to join the campaign as a partner. Contact us for details.

Campaign Summary

1 July – Campaign launched

2 July – Published Briefing Homophobia on Twitter & Instagram

  • Online targeting of the LGBTQ+ community during America’s Pride month demonstrates the level of homophobic hate that continues to permeate the Internet.
  • There are many who openly set out to discredit & humiliate members of the LGBTQ+ community, and are even prepared to take the humiliation to the point of deliberately revealing private/personal information (doxxing) via social media.
  • Social media platforms need to work harder at putting a stop to all aspects of online Homophobia.

7 July – OHPI Facebook post of news article: JK Rowling: Harry Potter author under fire for ‘transphobia’ over comments

8 July – OHPI Facebook post of news article: Increase in online LGBT+ bullying in lockdown – survey

10 July – OHPI Facebook post of news article: Facebook urged to do more to stop LGBT+ hate speech in Arab countries

17 July –  Published Briefing A Myriad of Homophobic Messages on Facebook & Twitter

  • This briefing seeks to foster an awareness of the many homophobic messages found on Facebook and Twitter.
  • While the examples of Homophobic & Transphobic messages used in this article are from the United States, similar messages are occurring daily throughout the world.
  • We have shone a light on just some of the myriad of hate published on Facebook and Twitter, yet the same level of hate can be found on all social media platforms.We continue in our plea that social media platforms work harder to put a stop to all aspects of online Homophobia & Transphobia.

22 July – OHPI Facebook post of news article: Online hate blamed as researchers find homophobia is increasing among young people in UK

31 July – OHPI Facebook post of news article: If you see transphobia online, say something: Here’s how to do it

3 August – Published Briefing: Anti-Trans Abuse Online

  • Online abuse against non-binary and binary trans people is unfortunately common online. Although some forms of online anti-trans abuse are overtly hostile, unintentional or well-intentioned forms of online abuse also cause harm.
  • This article by volunteers Dr Gávi Ansara & Gene outlines more of the intentional changes people can make to prevent it.

4 August – Introduced new section on Transphobia to the OHPI website.