There are No Closets in Cyberspace: On the Role of Early Virtual Communities in Queer Identity Formation

(Vrije Rubriek)

Samenvatting

This article discusses the role that early online newsgroups played in the identity formation of LGBT communities. It considers the term 'identity' in relation to sexual and gender minorities and outlines the contemporary history of LGBT discourse in real-life communities. In particular, this article looks at LGBT newsgroups on Usenet, one of the earliest online platforms available to the general public. Various discussion threads will be taken as examples of broader trends in LGBT identity discourse to understand the social and cultural exchange between the internet and real-life.