End for historic online space

Before the web came to house the plethora of resources now enjoyed by queer youth, a newsgroup forum called soc.support.youth.gay-lesbian-bi drew crowds of confused and troubled young people who came to question their sexuality and seek advice.

But from next month, the newsgroup will no longer accept new postings and the website will expire, leaving behind a 13-year legacy of community and support for those who didn’t know where else to turn.

Long-time moderator Susannah Whitney joined the SSYGLB newsgroup aged 17 at a time when there were few real-life services in her hometown of Newcastle.

There was a gay and lesbian telephone counselling service, and when I was in Sydney I’d sneak into shops and grab Lesbians On The Loose and Sydney Star Observer, Whitney said.

But that was the extent of what I was able to do face-to-face, and one of the things I liked about the internet was that nobody had to know who I was.

Anonymity was a key feature of the newsgroup from the start, with participants able to request their contributions be stripped of identifying tracers at a time when most email addresses contained the owner’s real name.

Whitney remembers seeing posts from boys as young as 10 or 11 and, even though the newsgroup was designed for young people, the lack of online alternatives meant all ages were accepted if relevant.

Parents or older siblings of gay and lesbian kids would post, saying, -˜My son’s just come out to me, what do I do?’

Canadian Kalev Hunt, who joined the moderating team in 1996, said the intention was to create a safe-space for young people who were just starting to come out.

A strict moderating policy protected vulnerable members from those only seeking sex or spreading anti-gay messages, which Hunt says was a common problem on other gay newsgroups.

While some sought real-world solutions, such as referrals to PFLAG, most just wanted an outlet to talk about being gay.

The number one issue was -˜I’m in love with my best friend, and they’re straight, and they don’t know I’m gay, what do I do?’ followed by -˜my religion tells me it’s a sin to be gay, how do I deal with it?’, Hunt said

Recalling his own meeting with another group member who would become a good friend, Hunt says the connections through this group were often the first gay people they’d encounter.

All of that coming from the newsgroup, a collection of people who would never otherwise in a zillion years get together, he says.

Hunt made the decision to close the group as postings dwindled and young people found other networks.

And while Whitney said she was really sad to see the site go, there were other, better ways for young gay and lesbian youth to get information.

Grab the phone book, grab Google, go online, go to sites like PFLAG, because the resources are out there and teenagers are so computer-literate, they know just how to find it.