How tech can platform and protect the LGBTQ+ community

In a world where civil rights are under attack and technology is accelerating faster than our ability to regulate it, I have dedicated my life to one question: How do we build systems that protect, rather than harm, the most vulnerable among us? My answer has taken me from scaling one of the fastest-growing LGBTQ+ employee groups in tech to producing globally recognized LGBTQ+ storytelling and creating platforms designed for communities that are too often erased. But the story begins long before the titles, in a childhood shaped by movement, isolation, and the longing to belong.

I grew up in the middle of Kansas, to a mom in sales and a dad in media production, keeping my story and my truth close to my heart. I was terrified of how easily it could spread if I told a soul, even my own parents. I did not feel safe being myself, afraid that being gay would mean even more bullying on top of what I already faced as the "new kid" as we bounced around from state to state because of my dad's work.

That constant movement taught me something priceless: an appreciation for the diversity of thought across this country, and a deep respect for the many cultures that make America what it is. As well as a belief in how expansive your mind can become through travel. I learned how important it is for every community to feel seen, valued, and respected, lessons I still carry with me today.

As a kid, I was also Latino but did not speak Spanish, and I had ADHD but did not yet have the language to describe it. All of these parts of me already made life complicated enough, and sharing them felt too risky, like opening myself up to more harm than I could handle.

Looking back, I know I am not alone in that fear. Even today, I can imagine many people, kids and adults alike, trying to find the words to name their identities, trying to navigate complex systems that were never built for us, systems rooted in oppression and exclusion. I can imagine them trying to thrive in a world that makes it difficult for them to do so. That reality has never been more urgent, and it is why I have built a career grounded in purpose, working within, around, and outside of systems to change them for the better.

From Silence to Advocacy

I stepped into a new chapter when I came out in Silicon Valley, one where my lived experience became my leadership compass. Over the years, I have been honored to serve at the forefront of LGBTQ+ advocacy in multiple arenas, from nonprofit work at The GenderCool Project to being an executive producer at Free Lion Productions, an LGBTQ+ owned studio led by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Fiona Dawson. These roles have been about more than representation. They have been about building platforms, cultural, corporate, and technological, where belonging is not an afterthought, but the foundation.

Technology as a Force for Belonging

That same ethos fuels my work in technology. We cannot talk about justice without talking about the tools that shape our lives. My current projects reside at the intersection of ethics, equity, and innovation, from supporting inclusive storytelling to developing platforms that serve marginalized communities with dignity.

One example is my work with EMPWRD AI, a community-trained platform intentionally built with and by underrepresented communities—a tool built by us, for us. EMPWRD is a digital sanctuary and trusted companion for individuals who are often overlooked by mainstream technology. Instead of scraping the internet for biased or unverified information, it draws from verified data provided by nonprofit and civil rights partners. The information is sourced directly from leaders and organizations doing the work in the very spaces where people are seeking more profound understanding, from housing justice to legal rights to mental health.

Now, when someone turns to EMPWRD, they are met with guidance grounded in lived expertise and community trust, delivered in a way that is safe, transparent, and rooted in equity. It is intentionally designed to counter the failures of biased algorithms and profit-driven systems, demonstrating that technology can be harnessed to protect dignity rather than erode it.

Why It Matters Now

We are living through a polycrisis: climate change, political extremism, economic instability, and systemic inequities, all amplified by a deeper metacrisis. Echo chambers of thought and a dangerous sense of "normal" keep us numb while the systems around us crumble, with too many leaders unwilling or unable to confront their failures. In moments like these, representation is not enough. We need leadership that ensures our systems, digital and otherwise, are built to protect the most vulnerable among us. We cannot wait for someone else to do it; we must be the leadership we are waiting for.

For me, that means asking: Who is this tool for? Who is missing from the table? Whose dignity is at stake? These questions have guided my work, from organizing Pride Alliance events that inspire the next generation of leaders, to brokering partnerships that fund transformative storytelling, to pushing billion-dollar tech companies toward inclusive design.

If you are reading this and wondering what you can do, start by questioning the systems you rely on. Support projects, whether in media, advocacy, technology, or community building, that center marginalized voices. Invest your time, energy, and resources into work that is not just for us, but with us.

Because no machine, law, or institution should ever tell us who we are. We will define that ourselves, and in doing so, we will create a future rooted in dignity, possibility, and belonging for all.

I began as a once-closeted gay kid from Kansas, carrying my truth in silence. Today, through purpose-driven leadership, I have helped shape systems that touch billions of lives around the globe. And if a kid like that can rise to do this, then so can you.

Because the future is not written yet, and it is ours to build.

Vincent McNeeley is a queer, Latino, neurodivergent technologist and works as the partnership and product leader at EMPWRD AI and Corporate Sponsor Manager at The GenderCool Project.

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