Is the Metaverse the Next Safe Space for LGBTQ+ Folks?
LGBTQ+ people are no stranger to finding community online. Since the internet’s inception, we’ve used it as a tool to chat, laugh, meet, and so much more.For many of us, it was our only respite from a homophobic, unaccepting world.
We asked message boards for advice on coming out, or we pieced together who we were one reblog at a time on Tumblr, or screamed about our favorite pop stars on Twitter, or simply just googled “Am I gay?”We created our own safe spaces to build each other up, away from prying eyes.
And while we’ve come a long way since the ’90s, the communities we’ve built and continue to build online are precious. But the internet is evolving, and so are these spaces.
Perhaps virtual reality is the next frontier?From the minds of the folks at Meta comes “Dream House”, a space built within the app Horizon Worlds for and by LGBTQ+ folks that was “inspired by the heart of Ballroom culture” with the intention to “provide a refuge of belonging, safety, and inclusivity” for Black and Brown LGBTQ+ communities “beyond urban geographic boundaries.” As a part of the Metaverse Culture Series, Meta arranged a meeting of the minds in one space, though its inhabitants were scattered across the country.
