9

I love following queer people. It makes me really happy. But I think, like, back then, I was really naive. I remember when I realized that, like, gay people were real. And, like, that it was okay to be gay. Like, I just didn’t even think that it could be possible. I feel like the majority of the people that I was following who were LGBT online were probably people that I didn’t know. I didn’t have a lot of friends who were LGBT, at least when I was younger.

 

​

Have you ever followed or interacted with any queer celebrities or ‘Internet personalities?’

​

As I grew older, yeah. I do remember watching Troye Sivan’s coming-out video when it came out, I do remember that, but I don’t remember what time in my life. I think that was later in my teenage life when I think I was already like, ‘yeah I’m a, I’m a little bit gay.’

I feel like when I really started interacting with or, like, looking for more queer content was when I became, like, older. I’d say, like, after I had my first girlfriend. So like, after I was 15. Definitely, like, in TV shows, like really looking for those things. 

 

And I mean, like, there is no woman-on-woman representation in anything. Whenever I saw something I would get so excited so I remember Orange is the New Black, I didn’t even watch that show but I was so excited that Ruby Rose was a thing.

 

​

Have you ever had an interaction or experience while following anyone online that’s bothered you or made you uncomfortable in any way?

 

I guess I remember a lot of the backlash that Troye Sivan had when he came out. I remember that there was a lot of hate and a lot of, like, I guess this was kind of my first – how do I say this – I mean, when I came out, my family was, you know, from Ann Arbor, it’s a fucking bubble, people are liberal as fuck here, you know. And my family is really accepting and, you know, it obviously was nerve-wracking when I came out but they were so supportive in every way, you know. And all of my friends were as well, and even at school... People didn’t say things to my face, at least.

 

But seeing Troye Sivan come out and then seeing the, like, direct and really vicious hate that came towards him, like a lot of people threatening him and telling him that he should, you know, hurt himself and things like that, um, I think that was shocking to me, and upset me. 

 

I had such a positive experience and I never really had, like personal interactions with people who had really negative experiences coming out that it was kind of shocking to see that. I mean,

I understood that and I knew that, um, that happened, and that homophobia was real, but it was really different to kind of witness it in that way, you know. That was something I didn’t understand. And I think also part of me was, like, ‘I wish that he could have had the same experience that I had,’ you know, at least when I was younger.