Laurindo Garcia - Using Social Media as a Loudspeaker for Activism

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Jan 29, 2018
by Nicole Bogart
Laurindo Garcia - Using Social Media as a Loudspeaker for Activism

Social media expert and LGBT activist on how technology can promote social change

Social media has changed the nature of how we share stories; its viral nature allows activists to spread messages further than ever before. Filipino LGBT activist Laurindo Garcia recognized this innate power in its early stages. In 2011, he founded the B-Change Group, an organization dedicated to promoting social change through technology. Today, operating out of three cities globally, the B-Change Group works with small-to-medium non-profit and other organizations to help harness the power of social media.

“We need to try to find ways to build up [social media advocacy] capabilities among activists, because we live in a world where advocacy organizations don’t have cash, they don’t have resources and they are working in incredibly challenging environments,” explains Garcia, a multi-time Fellow of the Salzburg Global LGBT Forum.

At the Forum, Garcia, a highly-regarded expert in media and communications, also shared his life experiences of living openly with HIV: “I’m openly HIV+. It’s been a long journey for me to understand my place as an HIV+ gay, Asian male in the world and I’ve been learning how to do that over the last 12 years.”

He focuses his work in social justice, diversity and health for marginalized groups, especially the LGBT community and those living with HIV. These groups face great challenges when navigating the murky waters of online activism, often subjected to rampant harassment, “trolling” and even death threats when spreading their message on social media. These threats are amplified when advocating for groups in countries where homosexuality is criminalized, as discussed by Fellows from countries such as Uganda, Nigeria and Bangladesh.

Laurindo Garcia on health and access to health for LGBT people

During the fifth session of the Forum, Garcia called on participants to conceptualize a social media campaign aimed at creating online conversations surrounding LGBT families. The exercise was designed to demonstrate the unique way in which activists can tell stories using new media types; but Garcia noted it also provided an opportunity to shed light on social media’s implications, something “we are still grappling with,” the activist says.

“The reason why I jumped at the opportunity to run a session at the Forum on social media is to try to build resilience and knowledge about how to do it well and approach it with method, a greater understanding of what can work and what might be some of the risks along the way,” he explains. “[Activists] have taken to technology – and that’s a great thing – but they are often exposed to many risks. Opportunities like being [at the Salzburg Global LGBT Forum] offer a way to talk about it and impart new skills, but really help provide a space where people can be sharing how they have identified solutions to problems they have been facing, what didn’t work and hopefully through that exchange they are better at solving it themselves.”

Garcia’s work has proven effective for several organizations. In 2013 and 2014, B-Change partnered with the International HIV/AIDS Alliance to train community organizations on effective social media practices for promoting HIV testing in Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia. In 2016, the group assisted six community-based HIV organizations in Thailand to use social media tools to direct clients to healthcare providers. Through a partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), B-Change also aided research investigating the effectiveness of using social media to address discrimination against LGBT people in Asia.

Garcia is now working on building a mobile app called “Be” that allows LGBT people, women, those with disabilities and other minorities to rate public spaces on their level of inclusiveness.

“Be is the only app where diverse women, people with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and other groups can come together towards a common goal,” explains Garcia.

“With Be you can find inclusive cafés, clinics, retail outlets, health and social support services, entertainment establishments and other places nearby at the tap of a button. You can filter your search according to your individual needs. Rate and share places so that your friend and others in the community can benefit from your experience. Give feedback to place owners so that they learn how to improve the way they serve you.

“Our vision is that Be will help diverse groups take the lead in shaping inclusive cities of the future.”
Inclusion was a key theme of the fourth session of the Forum – The Many Faces of LGBT Inclusion – held in Thailand in 2016. Speaking at that session, Garcia reflected on the Forum as a “community of trust” and a “safe space for other activists and individuals to come together,” saying: “The stories that are shared here are in good hands, amongst like-minded individuals as well, and we will take care of each other.”


Laurindo Garcia on Salzburg Global LGBT Forum as a safe place