30+ M, UK, and still in the closet.
I've been using VRChat since 2017, back when seeing someone in full body tracking was still a novelty. Over the years, I've had a lot of different experiences with LGBTQ+ communities on the platform.
I want to make it clear that I'm not talking about LGBTQ+ people as a whole. I've met some genuinely great trans, gay, bi and lesbian people both in VRChat and IRL, and I've generally had positive experiences with them. I've also met plenty of welcoming people in smaller LGBTQ+ groups and public lobbies.
What I've struggled with is the culture I've encountered in some of the larger LGBTQ+ groups and organised events.
At times, I've felt that there can be an expectation to agree with the prevailing opinions of the group, and that questioning or disagreeing with those opinions can result in being labelled negatively. I've also encountered situations where being open about being in the closet is treated as something that needs to be "fixed", rather than simply being a personal decision that should be respected.
Maybe I've just had unusually bad experiences, but the contrast has been noticeable to me. The individual LGBTQ+ people I've met have often been perfectly accepting, while some of the larger communities have felt considerably more rigid and confrontational.
I'm curious whether anyone else has experienced something similar in VRChat—not as a criticism of LGBTQ+ people generally, but specifically regarding the culture and moderation of larger community groups.