The legacy and development of mutual aid online: how young transgender people access and utilise networks of community support

This project will examine transgender online mutual aid networks, to investigate how they influence
health and welfare problem-solving processes amongst the queer community. It will tread new ground by
charting the historical foundations of online mutual aid networks, reviving their legacy from the early
digital age. Moreover, by combining digital ethnography with large-scale online surveys, the study will
shed light on how online mutual aid networks function today, examining how young transgender people
navigate non-hierarchical structures of care online. As such, this innovative study will offer insight into an
under-researched phenomenon that is crucial for the health and wellbeing of the trans community; and it
will also shed light on solutions that online mutual aid networks may offer to other marginalised groups,
whose needs are currently not met by welfare or healthcare services.