.Gay Creative is Championing Safety and Equality for LGBTQIA+ Communities Online

Logan Lynn, creative consultant to the new .Gay domain, says you don’t have to live in a major city or have a public persona to push for meaningful change. Sometimes, all it takes is being a digital advocate to move the dial. Here’s how.  

Before becoming creative consultant to the .Gay domain, Logan Lynn started out as a musician and filmmaker for the past 25 years. He continues to pursue his artistic endeavors to this day, currently signed to legendary indie label Kill Rock Stars with a new record coming out later this year.  
 
But being a prolific artist means being a public personality. “Part of that has always included navigating homophobia, bigotry and hate online because of my identity, so internet safety and LGBTQIA+ activism has been at the center of the wheel for some time now,” says Lynn.  

 The homophobic trolling landed him in People Magazine in 2018, which led to several social media companies changing their policies around LGBTQIA+ safety on their platforms. During that time, he became one of .gay’s earliest supporters and the stars aligned for him to come on board to help dream up what .gay would become. 

Here Lynn shares how his real-life passion for equality has taken on a life of its own in the digital realm, as creative consultant to the .Gay web domain.  

How did you become invovled with .Gay? 

My experiences online as an LGBTQIA+ artist and business owner helped inform the .gay Rights Protections policy – the first of its kind in internet history, and the 20% giving model. I was then able to use my relationships in the entertainment industry and in the community to help launch the domain in 2020 as part of the original .gay team. To be in a position to have my story and experience be useful and to be part of this big change .gay has ushered in has been absolutely beautiful. I’m so proud of what we have done so far and can’t wait to see what we are able to pull off now that .gay is part of GoDaddy Registry!  

When did you embark on the advocacy and activism aspect of your life?   

I hosted a show on MTV’s Logo Network called “NewNowNext Music” where I got the opportunity to speak about things that were important to me alongside music videos and that aired to like 26 million homes each week. I caught the bug then, I guess. It just has always seemed goofy to me to use fame or spotlight exclusively to self promote, but by using it as a platform to raise money and awareness for causes I care about, it takes the cringe out.  
 
So whether it’s talking about being in longterm recovery from drugs and alcohol, or speaking out against anti-gay rhetoric, I figure the mic is best used as a vehicle for the things that matter to me. Sometimes that happens through songs, sometimes through movies, sometimes through political or charitable action. But it’s all the same thing to me.  

Was there a public figure who particularly inspired you to be an advocate for social change? 

 I think part of why I am so motivated around cultivating positive LGBTQIA+ visibility in the culture is that in the homophobic, ultra-conservative environment I grew up in, the only Queer or Trans people I was exposed to were characters on the occasional TV show that would slip through the gates. And back then, there really wasn’t any positive LGBTQIA+ visibility happening with those characters. It was always serial killers or some other really terrible thing.  
 
So that was missing in my life growing up. Once I was out in the real world I was moved by musicians like Tori Amos and Michael Stipe, who were always using their platforms to advocate for social change. I thought that was cool as hell and have done my best to be the gay I want to see in the world.  

Was there someone in your personal life who inspired you to be an advocate for social change? 

 I had a really beautiful therapist as I was entering into recovery back in 2008 who saw something in me that I had never been able to see in myself. He encouraged me to explore that voice inside and dared me to let it out. I ended up doing that on TV and it was really empowering. I think that led to me exploring personal relationships and professional experiences I would not otherwise have ever thought to look at, particularly in the nonprofit space.  

Many youths believe you have to move to a major city like New York City, Washington DC or Los Angeles to become an activist. How do you spur social change within a smaller community?  

It's still really hard in small towns! Moving to Garden City, Idaho in 2022 was a really pronounced reminder, and continues to be! I honestly think it’s so important to be out and proud but it’s even more important to be safe and alive. It’s not always safe for LGBTQIA+ people to come out or to be the focal point in a small town. That doesn’t make them any less part of the community. I love that .gay is a vehicle for outness to happen online, even if it’s not safe to be fully out in the community where you live. I hope that changes.  

 The more of us who are able to stand up and proudly live our lives and our loves, the better. And for anyone who doesn’t feel safe right now, I would just say that you will! Hang on. There’s a great big world out there and you belong here. Your life matters so much. If you do feel safe to come out where you live and you feel like taking on LGBTQIA+ advocacy in a small town, there are tons of resources available through our partner network at CenterLink, which can help get you connected and prepared for any number of community responses and, at the very least, help you not feel alone in the process. You are part of a long legacy of badasses and we are all rooting for you. Get it!  

How do you be a real ally and force for positive change remotely, via online and social media? 

Shutting down hate is a great first step. Like…we are all in charge of our comments sections on social media. I block people all day long. Big SCRAM! energy up in here. I also think finding LGBTQIA+ organizations like GLAAD and CenterLink to support is key. Follow them online. Like and share their posts. Donate! Commit to learning more and then do it! Watch some documentaries. Read some books. And if you really want to make a splash, register your .gay domain! It’s a fantastic way to shout that you are in support of LGBTQIA+ communities while also donating to vital community organizations.