I’ve only been active on Steemit for a couple weeks now, but what an inspiring time it has been! After several days of poking around, I took the leap and launched my Introduce Yourself post (because who doesn’t want to be a cryptomillionaire?). It was challenging to consolidate my life into a few, substantial paragraphs, while trying to be confident in the insecurity that I’m “newly” queer, having only come out two and a half years ago.
Photo Credit: @introspector Expectations v. Reality
I half hoped that my post would be met with fierce “yasss”-es, upvotes and glitter, because that’s the go hard I expect from us, for us. But gut check: I didn’t hit the lottery (silly minnow me). I received more love and encouragement than I could have ever anticipated, but the response still felt like crickets in the night.
So I continued on seeking out others, and have come across friends and allies alike but still, the silence resounded something deeper: When Steemit Roll Call is conducted, LGBT is the wee voice behind the sea of groups faintly shouting “here.”
Since coming to realize how under represented LGBT narratives are on the platform, my wife @introspector can testify that I have not stepped down from my soapbox about how we can collaborate to change this. I’m up late and early on Steemit and Discord because I’ve been immersed(obsessed?) in my effort to get connected with you all – to celebrate us.
The LGBTQ+ Curation Guild
The purpose of curation is to source, preserve and add value to content. However, one of the greatest challenges faced by Steemit developers continues to be retention of early starters, who bring the freshest content to the platform. Low payouts discourage even the most prolific bloggers, so they walk away and invest their talent where they feel it can be more symbiotically beneficial. With around 55,000 active users and several thousand new accounts onboarding every day, it’s devastating to think LGBT minnows might fall through the proverbial cracks.
This initiative @sykochica has set forth will support the LGBT community in a number of brilliant ways. My vision and work as a curator will be to ensure that the narratives of the LGBT community on Steemit are recognized and accepted, so that they can be used as the building blocks to contributing more in-depth content. My hope is that we do not become isolated, because after all, we are just people. We can offer so much insight into race and gender relations, dating and marriage, sex and family, and so much more. But these dialogues must include non-queer audiences and be built on the fundamental belief that we are dynamic beings that desire these things in a healthy way.
Photo Credit: Max Cooper Photography
In a broader sense, @sykochica’s SP delegation allows the highest quality LGBT content to be distributed amongst multiple accounts on the blockchain, as opposed to being primarily contained to one. When influence is centralized, it is susceptible to forming a one-dimensional voice as every author and curator holds a bias. By exchanging the SP delegation periodically, more aspiring curators and LGBTQ+ audiences will be reached and supported. There is strength in dispersion – it’s the fundamental anarchist belief behind our abandonment of fiat for cryptocurrency. Transparency > privacy. Down with centralization.
I am excited for the opportunity to grow in the art of curation and in many ways, my behavior on this platform will not change. I will keep talking my friends’ ears off about joining Steemit. I’ll still be creeping on everyone’s feed, reading and rambling in the replies. I’ll just be giving you that extra upvote boost that kept this minnow going out the gate.
I look forward to curating your content, educating on the use of the platform and trailblazing the way. I hope to make you proud and the path straight as I strive to make our voice heard, loud and clear.
Photo Credit: @introspector