The Internet Age

The Capital Metro Rainbow Alliance ceased operations in 2007, coinciding with a shift happening in the Deaf LGBTQ+ community nationwide. The expansion of the Internet made it easier for deaf and hard of hearing LGBTQ+ people to connect with each other across physical distance and learn about themselves and their community. In 1991, Gallaudet alum and former LSGU president Drago Renteria created Coming Together Newsletter (CTN), a magazine with an accompanying digital zine called FLASH, created by and for Deaf queer people. Renteria also founded the Deaf Queer Resource Center, a website that served as a clearinghouse for information for Deaf queer people. Though based in California, these digital resources built bridges between Deaf queer people nationwide, always connecting back to DC. The Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf and many of its local chapters continue to foster community among Deaf queer people to this day.