A new content moderation policy enacted Wednesday by parent company Meta to regulate hate speech on Facebook, Instagram and Threads includes a carve-out that allows users to call LGBTQ people mentally ill. are.
According to guidelinesotherwise prohibits the use of such insults on online platforms. “Political and religious discourse about transgender and homosexuality, and ‘weird.'”
Mehta also removes rules prohibiting insults about a person’s appearance based on race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religious affiliation, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or serious illness, while The policy banning expressions of hatred against individuals was rescinded. It is a protected class-based group that refers to transgender or non-binary people as “it.”
Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s co-founder, chairman and CEO, said in a video Tuesday that the platforms’ “restrictions on topics like immigration and gender” are now “out of sync with mainstream discourse.” “There is,” he said.
“What started as a movement to become more inclusive has gone too far, increasingly being used to shut down voices and shut out people who think differently,” he added.
In a statement to the Washington Blade, Human Rights Campaign President Kelly Robinson said: While we understand that enforcing content moderation is difficult, we have grave concerns that the changes announced by Meta will put the LGBTQ+ community at risk both online and offline. ”
“The remnants of Meta’s hateful behavior policy explicitly allow users to bully LGBTQ+ people based on gender identity or sexual orientation, and further exclude LGBTQ+ people from public spaces. We even allow calls,” she said. “We can expect an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ harassment, further suppression of LGBTQ+ content, and a dramatic chilling effect on the expression of LGBTQ+ users.”
Robinson added: “While we recognize the immense harm and danger of these new policies, we all need to lift up our stories, push back against misinformation and hate, and fight in online spaces. We all have a role to play in supporting each other. Now more than ever, we all need to be involved. HRC is not going anywhere and we will always be here.”
Attacks against LGBTQ, particularly transgender Americans, have intensified in legislative chambers and courts across the country in recent years, with homophobic and transphobic hate speech, misinformation, and conspiracies motivated by bigotry, including acts of violence. The number of crimes committed has also increased. This theory spreads further and faster thanks to the broad reach of social media platforms and the policies and practices by which companies manage user content and design algorithms.
Homosexuality and gender differences are often treated as mental illnesses in mainstream psychiatry research and clinical practice, even though certain homophobic and transphobic ideas are predominant on social media and in broader areas of “political and religious discourse.” is not considered.
More than 50 years ago, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from the internationally recognized Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and more than 30 years ago, it removed “transsexualism” and replaced it with “gender identity.” “sexual disorder,” then switched to “gender dysphoria” in 2013. These changes were aimed at clarifying the distinction between a patient’s identity as a transgender person and the ego-dystonic distress often experienced during childbirth. Gender is different from gender identity.
Research has consistently shown the effectiveness of treating gender dysphoria with gender-affirming health interventions. This is psychiatric, medical, and surgical care that can bring patients’ brains and bodies closer to their self-concept while reducing the incidence of severe depression and anxiety. , self-harm, suicide.
Just as we denigrate LGBTQ people as diseases and sexual deviants, we pathologize homosexuality and gender differences as disorders (or as related to the various mental illnesses actually listed in the DSM). ification is not new, but rather a resurgence of grosser homophobia and transphobia. Until recently, queer people were largely relegated to a time long before they secured meaningful progress toward legal, social, and political equality.
Meta’s announcement on Wednesday marks the latest move seen by President-elect Donald Trump to co-opt big technology companies and curry favor with the incoming administration, which in turn often puts it at odds with Facebook. This could ease tensions with conservative politicians. Instagram and Mr. Zuckerberg have close ties to President Obama, and over the years have occasionally championed progressive policies such as opposing mass deportation.
Public signs of reconciliation with President Trump began this summer, when Mr. Mehta lifted restrictions on his Facebook and Instagram accounts that were enacted after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
In the months since then, the company has continued to pander to Trump and Republican leaders in Washington, including Tuesday’s announcement that the Meta platform would no longer use professional fact-checking. That includes policy changes that mirror those enacted by Elon Musk after taking over Twitter. In 2022, it changed its name to X, creating a situation where hate and misinformation are more prevalent than ever.
Musk, the world’s richest man, has emerged in recent months as one of the president-elect’s strongest allies, spending a reported $277 million to support his presidential campaign and using his platform and influence to has been used to defend many of the incoming administration’s policy priorities. Initiatives targeting the trans community.
Last month, Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook each donated $1 million to President Trump’s inaugural committee, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and OpenAI’s Sam Altman each donated the same amount. He reportedly promised.
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
