In recent years, social media has become an increasingly powerful tool for connecting and uniting the LGBT community in Central Missouri. Politicians who are pro-LGBTQ have used their faith to respond to anti-LGBTQ positions taken by their colleagues, providing readers with mainstream religious views on the rights of LGBTQ people that are reflected in public opinion polls. This has been a key factor in changing the perception that religion is incompatible with the rights of LGBTQ people in the political arena. For digital interventions to be effective, it is essential that they are developed, adapted, optimized and expanded with input from young people with lived experience.
This will increase the likelihood that users will interact and use the interventions. Business leaders who are religious should also express their support for the rights of LGBTQ people, referring to their religious values or traditions. Geographical isolation or distance from more diverse urban areas can create significant logistical barriers for developing LGBTQ adolescents to find support and wellness programs specific to LGBTQ people in schools and communities. This includes a lack of safe spaces, community support and visibility, as well as culturally competent physical and mental health care.
The visibility of pro-LGBTQ people of faith has been increased by these two main stories, leading to greater newsworthiness in key political events where sources of positive faith took center stage. Social media has played an important role in connecting and organizing the LGBT community in Central Missouri, helping to create a more inclusive environment for all.
