#DotGayQAndA with Art & Jade from TechThoughts.gay Podcast
TechThoughts.gay is the domain of the Tech Tho(ugh)ts podcast! Hosted by “humanities-based” writer Art and software developer Jade, the newbie-friendly podcast discusses tech topics like privacy, security, computer hardware, and internet infrastructure.
Art and Jade were kind enough to participate in our #DotGayQandA interview — read on to learn all about why you should give more than a passing thought to your tech knowledge!
Tell us your superhero origin story. How did you meet, and why did you start the Tech Tho(ugh)ts podcast?
ART: The way we met and the way Tech Tho(ugh)ts started are separate, but intertwined stories. We’re polyamorous, and were introduced to each other by a current partner of ours back when we were all working at the Hetrick-Martin Institute, a nonprofit that serves queer youth. We hit it off pretty quickly due to our mutual love of technology and spending way too much money on fancy audio setups, and the rest is (mostly) history.
A few months later, the Hetrick-Martin Institute offered an internship geared towards teaching people the basics of starting and running their own podcast. Since we were already in a relationship, we figured teaming up for our podcast was just a natural next step: and so, Tech Tho(ugh)ts was born! We're both passionate about technology and aware of how it's primarily a white, cisgender, male-dominated field, so we wanted to add our voices to the conversation, and educate in doing so. Despite the end of our internship, the show is still going strong: even in our third season, we still have so much left that we want to talk about!
Why did you choose a .gay domain for your podcast?
ART: Originally, we were hosting our podcast on a domain that was used exclusively by Jade for her pet projects. Eventually, the show outgrew being a footnote on a website that was already too slow to host it, and we needed a real domain.
Since we went into this podcast knowing that we wanted to be out as content creators—the way our queerness intersects with the tech industry is something we’re constantly aware of as we plan episodes—we felt like a .gay domain was perfect for driving the point home! It’s not something we’re at all interested in hiding, so there’s no reason it shouldn’t be front and center as part of our branding.
What tech issues do you see as most important/concerning for LGBTQ people and communities?
ART & JADE: There are a lot of concerns, but two big ones that came up for us have to do with the question of not only access, but safe access.
Part of our intention in starting our podcast was to figure out ways to talk about technology that didn’t just focus on the latest and greatest (read: expensive) gadgets, but at its core, this show has always been about safety. A lot of younger queer people have grown up in a world where the Internet has always been there, or where they feel like privacy isn’t a concern because it’s already a lost cause—just think of all the memes about FBI agents watching you through your webcams.
It’s important to us that queer communities stay informed about the ways technology is changing, and how this may affect them: especially when there’s an increasingly concerning trend of people, often queer kids, feeling the need to put more and more information about themselves out on the Internet, often in ways that are outright harmful. We hope our show can combat this—showing people that technology can be interesting and fun, but that protecting yourself always comes first.
What are your thoughts about LGBTQ representation in the tech industry?
JADE: I feel that queer representation in the tech industry has changed a lot over the last decade. Companies in general have been more open about their efforts with the queer community, as demonstrated in many a pride parade. Other organizations have sprung up in order to get more queer people into tech (examples of which are Out in Tech and Maven Youth).
All of this being said, it feels as if very little of the focus has been on the hardships queer people encounter while working in tech. From a study published this year (2021), researchers found that we're being treated as "less skilled" compared to our non-queer peers, more often excluded by our colleagues, and have less opportunities to further our skills.
Furthermore, all of this has been leading to a higher likelihood of [LGBTQ people] leaving STEM fields altogether. This is frustrating, as despite how much it seems that things have improved on the outside through marketing and the common rainbow flag plastered around, queer people in tech have seen only a marginal improvement to their lives.
Why is it important to help create a safer internet for LGBTQ people?
JADE: The question of “safer internet” is a tricky one. While it’s essential that social media platforms continue de-platforming hate speech, as many of them have begun to do, oftentimes the question of “safety” can become one of censorship. I believe the only way to create a safer internet is to lessen the restrictions that have been placed on it over time.
The over-censoring of the internet has only done harm to the queer community: as an example, Youtube has historically censored videos about queer content, and has often demonetized them. Worse yet, much of that content has been restricted to 18+ users just for being about queer people. With a platform as large as Youtube, all this has done is create the image that queer people are "other" and "unsafe for children,” as well as make the exposure people would have to queer content far less common than it should be. If we want a safer internet for queer people, we need to make sure that we're not silencing the creators that are already there.
To learn more and to listen to the Tech Tho(ugh)ts podcast, check out TechThoughts.gay!
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed in this interview are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of .gay, its parent company, or its employees.