A Byte of LGBTQ+ Cyber Activism: From Digital Queers to High Tech Gays

Join us at the Trinity Long Room Hub for a special event hosted by The Center for WGSS featuring Dr Alex Ketchum, Associate Professor at the Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies (IGSF) at McGill University.

Please register here.

This talk explores the history of LGBTQ+ cyber activism. From the 1980s onward, queer engineers, scientists, and tech professionals built LGBTQ+ employee resource groups, founded international networks, and spearheaded early digital activism across the US, Canada, and the UK. Whether collecting hardware and software for grassroots organizations, publishing info-activist zines, or building foundational internet infrastructure, these activists expanded who could claim space online. Centering joy, community building, and humor alongside serious technical labor, they utilized analog and digital tools to transform queer lives both on and offline. This talk reveals how LGBTQ+ communities are not passive consumers of technology, but active builders who shape internet culture and infrastructure.
Places are limited, and advance registration is essential. 
This is a free event. Admission will not be permitted more than 10 minutes after the event begins.
This event is run in accordance with Trinity’s Dignity and Respect policy, and its commitment to nurturing a respectful and inclusive research culture.
Please indicate if you have any access requirements, such as ISL/English interpreting, so that we can facilitate you in attending this event. Contact: frankg@tcd.ie