LGBTQ+ People in Human-Computer Interaction

LGBTQ+ people face unique challenges with technology—from restrictive identity categories that fail to capture the nuance of queer identities, to harmful content moderation that disproportionately affects queer content, to fundamental lack of representation in the design process and research community.

This project examines how technology can better serve queer communities. We document the current state of LGBTQ+ research in HCI, investigate the lived experiences of queer users across platforms, and develop design recommendations that center queer needs. Our work spans dating apps, social media platforms, and community spaces, with particular attention to how multiply marginalized identities experience technology differently.

Researchers

Jordan Taylor, Ellen Simpson, Michael Ann DeVito, Morgan Klaus Scheuerman, Katy Weathington, Jed Brubaker

Publications

XOXO or XX/XY? Gender Essentialism and Queer Exclusion on Dating Apps Weathington, Katy and Scheuerman, Morgan Klaus and Brubaker, Jed R.
Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 9, CSCW
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- DOI: 10.1145/3711109
In a world with shrinking queer spaces, dating apps serve as a useful way to find romantic or sexual partners, make friends, and develop connections in an often fragmented community. However, dating app structures may exclude queer users more than their cisgender heterosexual counterparts. We examined how gender and sexuality are formatted as data in dating app profiles and algorithmically curated matchmaking functions. Based on an analysis of ten popular dating apps, we found gender and sexuality were often divided into descriptive labels and functional categories, which systematically marginalize or exclude queer identities from the matching process despite appearing inclusive.
Cruising Queer HCI on the DL: A Literature Review of LGBTQ+ People in HCI Taylor, Jordan and Simpson, Ellen and Tran, Anh-Ton and Brubaker, Jed R. and Fox, Sarah E and Zhu, Haiyi
Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
- Abstract
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- DOI: 10.1145/3613904.3642494
LGBTQ+ people have received increased attention in HCI research, paralleling a greater emphasis on social justice in recent years. However, there has not been a systematic review of how LGBTQ+ people are researched or discussed in HCI. In this work, we review all research mentioning LGBTQ+ people across the HCI venues of CHI, CSCW, DIS, and TOCHI. Since 2014, we find a linear growth in the number of papers substantially about LGBTQ+ people and an exponential increase in the number of mentions. Research about LGBTQ+ people tends to center experiences of being politicized, outside the norm, stigmatized, or highly vulnerable. LGBTQ+ people are typically mentioned as a marginalized group or an area of future research. We identify gaps and opportunities for (1) research about and (2) the discussion of LGBTQ+ in HCI and provide a dataset to facilitate future Queer HCI research.
Queer in HCI: Strengthening the Community of LGBTQIA+ Researchers and Research DeVito, Michael Ann and Lustig, Caitlin and Simpson, Ellen and Allison, Kimberley and Chuanromanee, Tya and Spiel, Katta and Ko, Amy and Rode, Jennifer and Dym, Brianna and Muller, Michael and Klaus Scheuerman, Morgan and Marie Walker, Ashley and Brubaker, Jed and Ahmed, Alex
Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
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- DOI: 10.1145/3411763.3450403
Queer in HCI: Supporting LGBTQIA+ Researchers and Research Across Domains DeVito, Michael Ann and Walker, Ashley Marie and Lustig, Caitlin and Ko, Amy J. and Spiel, Katta and Ahmed, Alex A. and Allison, Kimberley and Scheuerman, Morgan and Dym, Briana and Brubaker, Jed R. and Simpson, Ellen and Bagalkot, Naveen and Raval, Noopur and Muller, Michael and Rode, Jennifer and Gray, Mary L.
Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
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- DOI: 10.1145/3334480.3381058
Safety and Community Context: Exploring a Transfeminist Approach to Sapphic Relationship Platforms DeVito, Michael Ann and Feuston, Jessica L. and Melder, Erika and Malloy, Christen and Ponder, Cade and Brubaker, Jed R.
- Abstract
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- DOI: 10.1145/3653694
Relationship platforms (e.g., dating apps) are crucial tools for sapphics (trans women, cisgender women, and nonbinary people who are attracted to other sapphics). However, current platforms are not designed in a way that accounts for sapphic lived experience, especially the lived experience of sapphics who hold multiple marginalized identity characteristics. Even on platforms that do exist for sapphics, transgender women and nonbinary people are often subject to discrimination, fetishization, and stigmatization. To aid in the design of platforms that better serve the needs of multiply marginalized sapphics, we engaged a diverse group of 25 sapphics in six rounds of community discussion on key topics for relationship platform design. Based on participant discussions, we identify key challenges when designing for multiply marginalized sapphics around relationship structures, gender and sexuality classification, and safety priorities for interaction. We present two design priorities alongside community-sourced design directions which can help future designers address these challenges: identity-centric safety and community-based information formats.