Have you been a victim of anti-LGBTQ online hate crime?
We have! It’s really not pleasant and can feel quite intrusive and frightening. It’s something that no-one should be subjected to and we feel very strongly about helping others in this situation.
Earlier this week, we were approached by a lovely lady called Harriet who is currently carrying out some research into how different people react and deal with anti-LGBTQ online hate crime. We linked up with her via Skype and had a really interesting discussion about our experiences and thoughts.
If you think this is something you would like to be involved in, please read her blog below and get in touch. Feel free to leave us any comments on this blog too, we’d love to know what you think about this.
Hello,
My name is Harriet and I am a PhD student at Sussex University. My research explores the impacts on LGBTQ victims of online hate crime. It has been acknowledged by a range of research studies that hate crime can have a terrible impact, not only on the victim, but for those who share the same characteristics for which the victim has been targeted. It is important to know whether these same impacts are found if people are targeted online. This is an area in which there has been almost no research and I think it is important to understand the impacts of this crime on the victims in order to increase the understanding of the issue and to help shape appropriate responses from internet providers, policy makers, and the criminal justice system.
Online hate crime comes in many forms and behaviours. These include (but are not limited to);
– Cyber stalking or harassment
– Abuse online because you are LGBTQ
– Trolling or spamming because you are LGBTQ
– Threats of violence
– Anti-LGBTQ hate speech
The PhD project has a number of elements associated with it; an online survey, interviews with victims, and some experiments. It is due to finish in June 2016 and it is hoped that the findings will be used by policy makers, the Criminal Justice System (the Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Courts), and support organisations to improve measures to manage this type of hate crime.
At the moment I am looking for people to take part in the interviews. These are all completely confidential and anonymous. The interviews take about 30-45 minutes and can be conducted on the phone or over Skype depending on what feels more comfortable for you. All you have to be is over 18 years old, LGBTQ, and have some experience of internet hate crime.
If you are interested in taking part in the interviews of would like further information about the project you can email me on hjef20@sussex.ac.uk or follow me on Twitter @cyberhateresear.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Harriet