Social technology company Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and more, has been priming for a new era of anti-LGBTQ+ policies and messaging, according to recent activity across its platforms.
Meta, which is owned and overseen by Mark Zuckerberg, has slowly been withdrawing its associations with LGBTQ+ pride and identities. Just this month, Pink News reports that Meta removed Pride and LGBTQ+ themes from Facebook Messenger. This follows a recent loosening of hate speech rules on the platform which includes giving users permission to refer to queer people as “mentally ill.”
New guidelines state “We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words like ‘weird’.”
The themes removed allowed users to personalize their messenger screens with “trans” and “non-binary” themes which corresponded with the respective identity’s pride flags.
Also this month, Meta has dumped their fact checkers which scan the platform for misinformation, these will be replaced with “community notes” a method used by Elon Musk’s X. In this system, users can add context to certain posts in order to combat misinformation. However, The Washington Post has reported in recent months that this system largely fails to address misinformation on the platform.
Zuckerberg said this change in the fact checking process was because it was becoming “too politically biased.” To combat this Zuckerberg also plans to relocate the company’s content moderation staff from California to Texas.
What’s more, earlier this month, Meta was caught censoring LGBTQ+ content posted to Instagram using associated hashtags, according to journalist Taylor Lorenz. Lorenz discovered that teens using the platform have been blocked from searching for LGBTQ+ content for months.
Posts with hashtags like #lesbian, #gay, #bisexual, #queer, #nonbinary, #transwomen, #Tgirl, #Tboy and more appear with a blank screen when searched by teen users.
Also this month, the company announced it would terminate its DEI commitments, a move that has sparked backlash from LGBTQ+ employees. The company announced it would stop requiring DEI practices in hiring and training processes.
One employee told 404 Media, “No one is excited or happy about these changes. And obviously the employees who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community are especially unhappy and feel the most unsupported in this. A small number of people are taking time off and are sharing that they are considering leaving the company due to this change.”
