Drawing on supportive virtual 2SLGBTQ+ communities during COVID-19: Opinion

Queer students have adapted to overcome pandemic challenges through connecting with virtual communities and supporting each other, write University of Toronto PhD Candidate David J Kinitz and Carleton University Disability Studies instructor Alan Santinele Martino. The authors discuss how queer students have not been able to access the social networks, queer-friendly resources, academic spaces, and independence from family that provided them with support pre-COVID-19. The article explains that queer people have harnessed digital technology to connect with others, access support networks, and find a sense of belonging since “safe” physical spaces have been lost. They conclude by encouraging institutions to make space for the voices and stories of marginalized individuals. “Our creative and queer ways of fostering resiliency are not impermeable to discriminatory social conditions,” write the authors. The Conversation (Editorial)