LGBTQ Community Faces Heightened Risk on Twitter Today Compared to Last Year: GLAAD

According to a recent survey conducted by LGBTQ+ rights organization GLAAD, Twitter has become a more hazardous platform for LGBTQ users compared to last year. GLAAD’s third annual Social Media Safety Index (SMSI) report reveals that there has been a regression and inconsistent enforcement of company policies against anti-LGBTQ online hate speech.

“Dehumanizing anti-LGBTQ content on social media, such as misinformation and hate, has significant real-world consequences, including violence and harmful anti-LGBTQ legislation,” said GLAAD CEO and President Sarah Kate Ellis.

GLAAD’s SMSI Platform Scorecard assesses LGBTQ safety, privacy, and expression on five major platforms – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter – based on 12 LGBTQ-specific indicators. These indicators include measures like protection against hate and harassment for LGBTQ users, gender pronoun options on profiles, and the prohibition of ads that can cause harm or discrimination to LGBTQ individuals.

Kara Swisher, a regular guest on CNBC and Editor at Large for New York Magazine, sits on GLAAD’s SMSI advisory committee.

It’s not just Twitter that falls short. GLAAD’s SMSI scorecard reveals that the other four major social media platforms also received low scores. Facebook scored 61% and TikTok scored 57% out of 100%. Details of the scores are provided below.

The study by GLAAD reveals that all platforms continue to struggle in establishing and enforcing safeguards to protect LGBTQ users from hate speech. Also, there is a lack of transparency regarding user data, leading to privacy concerns.

Jack Malon, a spokesperson for YouTube, stated that the platform’s policies prohibit content that promotes violence or hatred against the LGBTQ+ community. Malon mentioned that substantial progress has been made in quickly removing such content from YouTube and promoting authoritative sources in search results and recommendations.

TikTok and Meta (formerly known as Facebook) assured CNBC of their commitment to protecting the LGBTQ+ community. A TikTok spokesperson emphasized their strong policies against harassment and hate speech, while a Meta spokesperson mentioned their collaboration with civil society organizations worldwide to design policies and create tools for a safer online environment.

In this study, only Twitter experienced a decline in scores compared to last year. Its score dropped from 44.7% to 33%. This decline is attributed, in part, to the removal of transgender user protections by the company in April 2023. The previous policy prohibited slurs, misgendering, or deadnaming of transgender individuals.

GLAAD reached out to Twitter for comment, but the company responded with a poop emoji and did not respond to a follow-up direct message.

It’s worth noting that Elon Musk took over as owner and CEO of Twitter in October 2022. Musk, defending free speech, envisioned Twitter as a cybernetic collective mind for humanity. He proposed a “community notes” model as a way to correct misinformation. However, this approach relies on users reporting harmful posts, placing the burden on those affected by hate speech.

GLAAD has documented over 160 acts or threats of violence against LGBTQ events in 2023. The organization’s recent report, “Accelerating Acceptance,” found that 86% of non-LGBTQ Americans believe exposure to online hate content leads to real-world violence. GLAAD urges social media platforms to take responsibility for ineffective policies, products, and algorithms that create a dangerous environment for LGBTQ users.

GLAAD’s senior director of social media safety, Jenni Olson, emphasizes the urgent need for effective regulatory oversight of the tech industry, especially social media companies, to protect LGBTQ individuals and society as a whole.

GLAAD concludes by calling on social media platforms to prioritize meaningful action to address the dangerous environment they have contributed to, rather than focusing solely on profit.