Jul 3, 2026, 8:59 PMThis Pride, we’re answering all your digital rights questions in season two of our initiative, LGBT Q&A.
You asked: is being openly trans on the internet harmful in this day and age with the current political situation?
EFF's answer: In short, yes. But of course it's more complicated than that.
Jul 3, 2026, 8:59 PM
@eff Is there a version of this post with alt text?
Balancing the tradeoffs between publicity and privacy, belonging to a community online and off versus one's own personal safety, is a deeply personal process.
We can't do that for you, but we can give you advice on how to methodologically think through coming up with a security plan that best matches your own needs.
And we will continue to make tools that keep your data safe online while also advocating for your rights to free speech, privacy, and self-determination.
The internet is an irrevocable part of public life, so we must there too demand our presence known.
Visibility is a trap; it's also a necessary step in destigmatization. We know that DHS has scaled back rules saying that trans people can't face increased surveillance purely based on their trans-ness.
We also know that the government has escalated to calling advocates for trans equality terrorists, prompting genocide experts to yet again say that the fever pitch of transphobia espoused by the government is reaching levels of existential threat.