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Cruising Queer HCI on the DL: A Literature Review of LGBTQ+ People in HCI

Jordan Taylor, Ellen Simpson, Anh-Ton Tran, Jed Brubaker, Sarah Fox, Haiyi Zhu

TL;DR

This paper performs the first large-scale synthesis of LGBTQ+ representation in HCI by analyzing 1,021 papers across CHI, CSCW, DIS, and TOCHI (1986–2022) using a PRISMA-informed process and grounded-theory-inspired analysis. It introduces a public dataset of 1,148 LGBTQ+-mentioning papers, classifies them into five genres, and presents a timeline of notable milestones from 1997 to 2022, revealing a shift from viewing queerness as controversial to a broader yet still limited focus on marginalization and trauma. The authors propose provocations and recommendations to decenter technology, broaden the scope beyond trauma, and conduct more specific, community-centered research that advances LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion within HCI. They also highlight methodological and ethical considerations, including researcher positionality and the need for more nuanced data collection and reporting of gender and sexuality. Overall, the work establishes Queer HCI as a growing field and provides concrete datasets, timelines, and guidelines to guide future inclusive and justice-oriented research in HCI.

Abstract

LGBTQ+ people have received increased attention in HCI research, paralleling a greater emphasis on social justice in recent years. However, there has not been a systematic review of how LGBTQ+ people are researched or discussed in HCI. In this work, we review all research mentioning LGBTQ+ people across the HCI venues of CHI, CSCW, DIS, and TOCHI. Since 2014, we find a linear growth in the number of papers substantially about LGBTQ+ people and an exponential increase in the number of mentions. Research about LGBTQ+ people tends to center experiences of being politicized, outside the norm, stigmatized, or highly vulnerable. LGBTQ+ people are typically mentioned as a marginalized group or an area of future research. We identify gaps and opportunities for (1) research about and (2) the discussion of LGBTQ+ in HCI and provide a dataset to facilitate future Queer HCI research.

Cruising Queer HCI on the DL: A Literature Review of LGBTQ+ People in HCI

TL;DR

This paper performs the first large-scale synthesis of LGBTQ+ representation in HCI by analyzing 1,021 papers across CHI, CSCW, DIS, and TOCHI (1986–2022) using a PRISMA-informed process and grounded-theory-inspired analysis. It introduces a public dataset of 1,148 LGBTQ+-mentioning papers, classifies them into five genres, and presents a timeline of notable milestones from 1997 to 2022, revealing a shift from viewing queerness as controversial to a broader yet still limited focus on marginalization and trauma. The authors propose provocations and recommendations to decenter technology, broaden the scope beyond trauma, and conduct more specific, community-centered research that advances LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion within HCI. They also highlight methodological and ethical considerations, including researcher positionality and the need for more nuanced data collection and reporting of gender and sexuality. Overall, the work establishes Queer HCI as a growing field and provides concrete datasets, timelines, and guidelines to guide future inclusive and justice-oriented research in HCI.

Abstract

LGBTQ+ people have received increased attention in HCI research, paralleling a greater emphasis on social justice in recent years. However, there has not been a systematic review of how LGBTQ+ people are researched or discussed in HCI. In this work, we review all research mentioning LGBTQ+ people across the HCI venues of CHI, CSCW, DIS, and TOCHI. Since 2014, we find a linear growth in the number of papers substantially about LGBTQ+ people and an exponential increase in the number of mentions. Research about LGBTQ+ people tends to center experiences of being politicized, outside the norm, stigmatized, or highly vulnerable. LGBTQ+ people are typically mentioned as a marginalized group or an area of future research. We identify gaps and opportunities for (1) research about and (2) the discussion of LGBTQ+ in HCI and provide a dataset to facilitate future Queer HCI research.
Paper Structure (32 sections, 3 figures, 5 tables)

This paper contains 32 sections, 3 figures, 5 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Background & A Note On Language
  3. Methods
  4. Identification
  5. Data Screening
  6. Data Organization
  7. Data Analysis
  8. Researcher Positionality
  9. Growth in LGBTQ+ Representation: A Brief Timeline of Queerness in HCI
  10. How HCI Discusses LGBTQ+ People
  11. Shifting Participant Demographics
  12. Queerness as Political and/or "Bad"
  13. Emphasizing Queer Marginalization
  14. Becoming a Limitation or Future Work
  15. Genres of Queer-Focused HCI Research
  16. ...and 17 more sections

Figures (3)

  • Figure 1: PRISMA Informed Process Flow demonstrating how we searched for, screened, and selected for inclusion the papers in our corpus.
  • Figure 2: A Timeline of Key Events and Inclusions in HCI
  • Figure 3: Number of papers in our corpus referencing queer people in each year from 1997 to 2022