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Queer ID

Welcome, here we will explore what does it mean to be LBGTQ+ online in the 21st century. May you be yourself, authentic, awesome and Queer!

By Andrés Cortés

October 18, 2021

In the last 10 years or so, the LBGTQ+ community has developed a lot in the Digital Cosmos. In fact, live or face to face encounters tended to be intimidating at the very least if not dangerous and life-threatening. Some countries forbid people of the same sex expressing any kind of affections like holding hands or kissing one another. I call these identities dissident or alternative identities which question the status quo and are un-erasable. 

Dissidence in public spaces is viewed as an anomaly, as a mistake that many take into their own hands to “correct”. These methods often disregard basic decency, human rights and legal procedures in pro of “curing”, eliminating what’s “wrong” in order to restore the person to the social group that rejects them. It comes as no surprise that people belonging to these so called dissident or alternative identities, take refuge in behind-the-screen interactions. After all, other than strong language and slurs, their physical integrity is safe, although the psychological damage can also be huge. Forbes magazine accounts to 350 murders of people belonging to the Trans and Gender-queer community in 2020. Being Queer more than a political dissidence is frequently a death-defying act. 

This problem is worthy of further research and this is the reason I will be exploring this aspects, such as: how toxic masculinity affects gay dating apps?  How does Patriarchy portray feminine as inferior and pejorative? And how does it affects human interaction, both on and offline? What does it mean to be queer in the 21st century? 

In this column series, I will share a light in all the themes that to my opinion require a deeper understanding and discussion. Welcome to Queer ID hopefully together we can map what does it mean to be queer in the 21st century. 

I'm Andrés Cortés, Colombian, 24 years old, curious and hardworking. Professional translator, artivist and polyglot. Among my interests are etymology, linguistics and
 every day ethics. How can philosophic knowledge can be applied on an everyday basis. Apart from Kittiwake I also manage the artistic collective La Mesa and teach corporal theater to Colombian companies. I am fluent in Spanish, English, French and Italian and can communicate in German, Portuguese and Catalan.