People celebrating International Day against Homophobia in Cologne, Germany. Image: Christina Kohnen/Shutterstock
In a bid to help stop the spread of homophobic insults online, a new Chrome extension replaces hateful words with empowering ones.
While cyberbullying and attempts to incite hatred are nothing new online, LGBTQ people in particular are some of the most targeted when it comes to such abuse.
Last year, a report issued by LGBT Ireland showed that people who identify themselves as part of this group experience harassment on an almost daily basis.
In fact, one in five LGBTQ people have said that they come across hatred directed towards them on social media for their sexual identity, with this figure increasing to one in three for those who identify as transgender or intersex.
In a bid to highlight and help alleviate some of this hatred, a studio called Connector has launched a Google Chrome extension that filters online content to replace homophobic slurs with more positive wording.
Called #LoveWins, the extension was released to mark Pride month, celebrating greater diversity and inclusion globally.
Do you believe #LoveIsLove? Download our Chrome Extension and get rid of hate from your internet! www.connector.ie/pride ? #Pride2017
Posted by Connector on Friday, June 16, 2017
“The tool is designed to search webpages for LGBT+ slurs, and, when found, make them disappear by replacing them with positive adjectives celebrating what people in the community are: proud, courageous, fearless, friendly,” said Ivan Adriel, Connector’s head of digital.
“The tool also decorates the replacement words with the Pride colours.”
#RainbowRollCall
Meanwhile, the world of academia supporting LGBTQ researchers is doing its own part to promote greater inclusion, with Hannah Brazeau coining #RainbowRollCall as part of Pride month.
The hashtag has seen a number of researchers take to Twitter to offer their support, including those who had not previously revealed their identity as LGBTQ.
*whispers, very quietly, for the first time ever in public* #RainbowRollCall https://t.co/1nOo2yx4e4
— Ellie Mackin (@EllieMackin) June 14, 2017
#RainbowRollCall?️? — LGBTQ scientists up for talking about fieldwork experiences for the BMC Central blog, inquire below. #QueerSTEM https://t.co/snV8Rqs1nb
— Jeremy Yoder ?? (@JBYoder) June 15, 2017
Hello #RainbowRollCall!????️???Find out why #LGBT inclusion in the academic workplace is so important https://t.co/W1f125OkWE #pridemonth pic.twitter.com/mJWhZWIynq
— Niamh Kavanagh (@NiamhTalking90) June 16, 2017
#RainbowRollCall is blowing up my feed and it's my favorite expression of LGBTQ Pride so far. Celebrate all this Queer intelligence.
— Patrick Harris (@patrickaaron89) June 14, 2017
People celebrating International Day against Homophobia in Cologne, Germany. Image: Christina Kohnen/Shutterstock
