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U.S. NEWS Thursday 14 July 2022

LGBTQ harassment, slurs abound on social media, report says

By AMANDA SEITZ Tube, TikTok and Twitter
Associated Press have implemented around
WASHINGTON (AP) — So- LGBTQ issues.
cial media platforms in- All of the social media plat-
cluding Facebook and Tik- forms have outlined policies
Tok are failing to stop hate that are designed to pre-
and threats against LG- vent LGBTQ users from be-
BTQ users, a report issued ing harassed, threatened
Wednesday from advoca- or discriminated against by
cy group GLAAD found. other users because of their
Those are some of the in- identity.
ternet's most vulnerable Twitter and TikTok also have
users, with a majority of LG- specific policies against in-
BTQ people saying they've tentionally misgendering,
faced menacing posts or using the wrong pronoun
comments when they're to describe someone, for
scrolling through social me- example, or deadnam-
dia. But it's unclear how so- ing, which involves reviv-
cial media platforms such ing a transgender person's
as Facebook, Instagram, name from before the per-
TikTok, Twitter and YouTube son transitioned to a new
are handling those threats. identity. Meta, which owns
Instead of protecting their Facebook and Instagram,
users, GLAAD says in the said it removes similar posts
report, the tech compa- upon request.
nies are safeguarding in- The TikTok app logo appears in Tokyo, on Sept. 28, 2020. Some users bully LGBTQ
formation about how they Associated Press people on social media
respond to those attacks, by misgendering or dead-
revealing few details about Sapinsky, 29, said some Jack Malon said. dress the report but said naming them. One exam-
how often they take down use YouTube to livestream "Over the last few years, the company is working to ple came last month, when
posts or accounts that push themselves harassing we've made significant create an "inclusive envi- a conservative social me-
hate speech or harass LG- people at Pride parades. progress in our ability to ronment." dia pundit sent a swarm of
BTQ users. They quickly delete those quickly remove hateful and GLAAD recommended Twitter users to harass trans-
"The reality is, there's very live videos once they've harassing content," Malon that the platforms start re- gender actor Elliot Page
little transparency and very wrapped to evade being said. "This work is ongoing, leasing the training meth- with the wrong pronoun
little accountability," said detected by YouTube for and we appreciate the ods for content modera- and name. That Twitter user
Jenni Olson, GLAAD's direc- violating its policies against thoughtful feedback from tors as well as the number was suspended under the
tor for social media safety hate speech, he said. GLAAD." of accounts and posts the company's hateful con-
and author of the report. He listed a series of homo- A Twitter spokesperson said companies remove for duct policy.
"And people feel helpless." phobic slurs he's heard in in a statement that the violating rules designed to "The idea that these figures
Los Angeles resident Peter videos posted by users who company was discussing protect LGBTQ users. with millions of followers are
Sapinsky, a gay musician are still operating on the the report's findings with GLAAD's report examines bullying and harassing trans
who said he has faced ha- site. GLAAD. A statement from the policies and actions people, for being trans, is
rassment in the online gam- "YouTube doesn't do any- TikTok did not directly ad- Facebook, Instagram, You- just wrong," Olson said.q
ing community, shared thing about it," Sapinsky
screenshots with The As- said. "For someone who LIKE US ON
sociated Press of dozens says they don't allow hate
of messages he's sent to on the website, they sure
YouTube about users and do."
videos that use racist and Hateful or violent speech
homophobic slurs. YouTube directed at members of
has responded to only the LGBTQ community is
some of the messages, he prohibited on the platform, Facebook.com/arubatoday/
said. YouTube spokesperson