Understand the LGBTQIA+ news: When an algorithm decides what is 'true' about Trans+ people, it gets harder to challenge

Are you feeling hopeful this morning? In a sometimes dreary world, it's easy to lose sight of the wins. But this week is full of them.

The sweeping rejection of Trump in the US midterms is a moment to be seized on, especially given that – as we cover this week – the millions spent on anti-trans adverts fell flat. It may be too early to say, but many pundits have posited this could be the beginning of the end of the Trump MAGA era, with his base falling away fast.

One immediate knock-on effect has been a sharp drop in AI stocks, not least because a key electoral decider in the US elections was the building of AI data centres in people's backyards. This week, we take you deeper into our investigation into the information popular AI models give people about Trans+ lives.

When our lives are pushed behind closed doors like this, they become harder to investigate. Something we've seen all too often during our three-year investigation into the chemsex scene, which launches on Monday. It took such a long time to pull this six-part series together, because of how shame, stigma and loneliness have pushed people who use drugs to have sex so far behind closed doors, they're afraid to ask for help.

We approached this investigation with a mantra meant to flip that narrative, putting care for queer people first. What is clear to us after three years of work is that it is not gay, bi and queer men who are to blame for the issues on the chemsex scene, but rather homophobic systems that fail us. We ask why people fall into addiction in the first place, and hold the police, the apps and healthcare systems accountable, with a number of critical revelations to come.

Meanwhile, despite a report that shows queer charities are struggling with cash, a flurry of activity from the LGBTQIA+ non-profit sector this week reminds me that even on a shoestring we can deliver huge impact. At the centre of it all, a new report shows that queer media has become the most important source of connection to the community. Beyond events, spaces and even pride – 72% of people said they lean on LGBTQ+ media and news to feel connected to the community.

To help as many people as possible feel that connection, we're running our end-of-year membership drive. The good news is, just one week in, your fellow readers have helped us reach the halfway mark. Now, we need your help to hit our goal.

If you want to protect access to vital information about Trans+ lives – ensuring it skips algorithms that filter and AI bots that misinform, become a QueerAF member.

If you want stories about the queer community to blame the systems failing us, not the individuals being left to struggle, become a QueerAF member.

If you want to help the 7 in 10 queer people that rely on media like QueerAF to feel connection at a time when attacks on our community are increasing, become a QueerAF member.

Remember, if the obstacle is ‘I have subscription overload, and money is tight’ we have a sale across the board on our memberships. Supporting us can start at as little as the price of coffee, or 15 minutes' worth of your wages this month.

We're looking for just 25 members to sign up over the next month to help fund our upcoming investigations, our talent pipeline schemes, and this weekly, free newsletter that helps 10K readers understand the news (and use it to fight back):

We are Queer As Fuck, and so are you.

Sent with solidarity and pride, as ever,
Jamie Wareham - QueerAF Founder

Understand the LGBTQIA+ headlines and keep track of the latest queer content and perspectives. QueerAF is written by Jamie Wareham and a different LGBTQIA+ creative every week.

💬 This week:

• A room of one: Diving deeper into our investigation into the most popular AI models, QueerAF founding member and researcher Kyle Taylor examines the dangers of Trans+ and queer lives being erased in the unchallengeable private conversations people are having with AI.
• Queer sector news: We look at several important studies from the UK LGBTQIA+ charity sector this week.
• Chemsex: On Monday, we launch our new podcast, QueerAF Uncovered, based on a three-year investigation into how the police, apps and healthcare are failing queer, bi and gay men struggling with loneliness, addiction and shame in Catch Us When We Fall. Reporter Rory Boyle looks at the issues in the Queer Gaze.

Skip the doomscrolling and support queer creatives instead. We are QueerAF – and so are you.

In the ‘room of one’ that AI chats create, trans misinformation can’t be challenged

TL;DR: QueerAF's research found popular AI models mostly give trans people a fair hearing with their answers, but largely position trans existence as a legal or medical issue. QueerAF founding member and researcher Kyle Taylor analyses why that is far less reassuring than it might sound.