Entertaining as the internet is, it isn't always a safe and kind space. But sometimes, when we’re lucky, we encounter platforms that leave the world better than they found it. Queering the Map is one of these rare platforms. What began as a small project in Montreal has now become a global movement of volunteers who are sharing their stories of heartbreak and acceptance in the LGBTQIA+ community.
As its name suggests, Queering the Map documents queer life around the world, allowing users from anywhere to add their stories and pin them on the map. Anything can be pinned, from the street where you had your first kiss or the building where you experienced your worst heartbreak. LGBTQIA+ members from Moscow to Maine have told their stories on the platform, which “collaboratively records the cartography of queer life.”
Whether it’s a tale of love, violence, or acceptance, each experience is documented in this universal archive for the queer community. The point of the project is simple: to validate the experiences of the LGBTQIA+, who for so long have faced invalidation at every turn.
The counter-mapping platform is moderated to protect users from spam or doxxing, and in essence, to ensure that the world can become their safe space, at least on Queering the Map. The project has even reached Philippine shores, where Filipinos from around the country are confessing their experiences on the anonymous platform.
LOOK: Filipinos on Internet's LGBTQIA+ Community Queering the Map
Queering the Map’s confessions can be comforting,
Inspirational,
Hilarious,
And at times, heartbreaking.
But all of them, no matter how cheesy,
are valid.
Add your experience to Queering the Map here.
This story originally appeared on Esquiremag.ph.
* Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
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