If you read the about section of this website, you will notice that the administrators and contributors are researchers and scholars (I consider myself a researcher and scholar-in-training). I spend so much of my time writing for publication, reading research articles or reports, and doing other scholarly or research related activities, that I lose touch with the rest of the world. Don’t worry though, I always find my way back! To that end though, I sometimes have to remind myself that the majority of people are not reading published research or scholarly articles. Most people go to the Internet for their information, and I think that is important for us all to keep in mind. The Internet is magnificent and powerful! Visiting a website may help you feel more connected to the LGBTQ community, inform you of LGBTQ news, excite you about the progress America is making in LGBTQ equal rights, anger and frustrate you about the backward steps Russia and Uganda are taking, intrigue you with LGBTQ culture, or simply make you laugh out loud!

Take off your scholarly cap for a few moments, and join me as I explore the LGBTQ Internet. (For those scholars out there, like myself, I can provide you with the methods to my web search, if you wish.)

My first stop landed me on the Huffington Post. Were you aware that the Huffington Post has an entire collection of LGBTQ pages? They include the Gay Voices, Transgender, Bisexual, Lesbian, LGBT History, Gay marriage, LGBT Wellness, and the list goes on! Here is the link to the Gay Voices page, which has links to all the rest: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gay-voices/

The advocate.com is a favorite site of mine. It provides me with my up-to-date LGBTQ political news, but also has great comedy and travel pages. Take a gander: http://www.advocate.com

I’ve stumbled upon this website in the past. Amos Lassen reviews LGBT related books and movies. The website is not appealing to the eye, but the books and movies are often intriguing. http://www.reviewsbyamoslassen.com

You have to give credit to the dedication of this blogger in keeping up with the latest LGBT-related news. I visit this site often to keep up with LGBT news gossip. He does a great job at “synthesizing” LGBT news from around the world. http://www.joemygod.blogspot.com

This website has the feel of a teen mainstream girl magazine, but is specific to lesbian entertainment, news, and culture. I think these types of websites are important because I doubt many mainstream girl magazines take into account that many of their readers identify as something other than straight. Check it out: http://cherrygrrl.com/

This is a great website that primarily profiles YouTube videos of trans people answering 7 questions about themselves. I was captivated by many of these videos, and I learned so much about the trans population. http://wehappytrans.com/

Thanks for exploring the LGBTQ Internet with me! These are just a few of the many websites out there specific to LGBTQ topics. We should applaud all of the people around the world who create safe spaces on the Internet for LGBTQ people. The millions of people around the world who will never be able to reveal their sexual orientation or gender identity because of social or political climates may find a brief moment of refuge visiting these types of websites.

If you are ever bored, sad, rained in, or just curious . . . explore the LGBTQ Internet!

Michael

Email: johnsonmikej@live.com