Responses to online hate speech against LGBTIQ+ people in Bulgaria

ongoing

The general objective of the RESPONSE project is to enhance capacities for varied and effective responses to online hate speech against the LGBTIQ+ community in Bulgaria and contribute to safeguarding fundamental human rights through effectively combating online hate speech. This is a project focused in Bulgaria offered by a partnership which includes two LGBTIQ+ organizations, one journalist membership organization and one mental health organization The concept of the project revolves around the varied responses to online hate speech against the LGBTIQ+ community, including in the frequent times when it is powered by disinformation. The partners have identified 10 different responses which will be arranged into a comprehensive catalogue. The project then goes ahead and develops resources for some of the responses where such are not existent or underdeveloped. For example, the unique resource “Browsing through Hate”, which will provide guidance for wellbeing online in the situations of heightened levels of anti-LBGITQ+ online hate speech. Made by an interdisciplinary partnership, the resource will include different “modes” of navigation, which would be determined by which online tools/media to use, how much, how, settings, support resources, etc. The project will then: - Train 20 journalists on covering anti-LGBTIQ+ online hate speech - Conduct 4 journalist investigations on coordinated anti-LGBTIQ+ online hate speech - Facilitate journalistic fact-checks on at least 6 cases anti-LGBTIQ+ online hate speech - Train 200 LGBTIQ+ community members on resilience and wellbeing online in periods of hate speech (100 online and 100 in community workshops) - Provide mental health support from qualified therapist for at least 70 victims of anti-LGBTIQ+ online hate speech - Reach 20 000 LGBTIQ+ and active civil society members with project resources - Reach 200 000 people with awareness raising campaign.