LGBTQ+ Safety: Why Twitter Falls Behind as a Social Media Platform

By Barbara Ortutay | Associated Press

The LGBTQ+ community continues to face significant challenges when it comes to online safety, with major social media platforms falling short in protecting users from hate speech and harassment, particularly transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals, according to GLAAD, an advocacy group. Among these platforms, Twitter stands out as the worst offender.

In its annual Social Media Safety Index, GLAAD gave low or failing scores to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter, stating that these platforms do not adequately prioritize user safety. However, most platforms have shown some improvement compared to previous years.

Twitter, which Elon Musk acquired last year, is the exception. GLAAD’s scorecard labeled it as “the most dangerous platform for LGBTQ+ people,” with its scores declining from 45% to 33% over the past year.

Since Musk’s takeover, Twitter has significantly reduced its communications staff, resulting in a lack of sufficient content moderators to address the influx of problematic content, including hate speech, graphic material, and harassment. Musk has also expressed his dissatisfaction with Twitter’s previous policies, which he deemed overly restrictive.

Twitter’s decision to quietly remove a policy against the targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals in April raised concerns about the platform’s diminishing safety for marginalized groups. Moreover, Musk’s interactions with far-right figures and dissemination of misinformation to his vast following have further contributed to the increase in attacks on LGBTQ+ users on Twitter.

Unlike other platforms that have made efforts to remove offending tweets, Twitter now sometimes merely restricts such tweets instead of completely removing them from the platform, which has fueled frustration among users.

GLAAD CEO and President Sarah Kate Ellis highlighted the dire consequences of online hate and harassment, noting that it can lead to offline violence and have detrimental effects on individuals’ mental health. GLAAD frequently assists victims of doxxing, a malicious practice where private information is exposed without consent to harass or threaten individuals.

GLAAD’s index evaluates various LGBTQ+-specific indicators, including protection against hate and harassment, the availability of gender pronoun options on profiles, and the prohibition of discriminatory advertising. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, saw improvements in both platforms with a 15 percentage point increase in scores. However, GLAAD points out that Meta’s enforcement of its policies is inconsistent, often responding to abusive posts with automated messages due to the high volume of reports received.

TikTok witnessed a 14-point increase in its score, reaching 57%. The platform boasts strong policies aimed at protecting LGBTQ+ individuals from harassment and hate speech, regularly seeking feedback from the community and experts like GLAAD to enhance its approach.

YouTube, owned by Google, also experienced a nine-point score increase to 54%. The platform has made significant progress in swiftly removing content that promotes violence or hatred against LGBTQ+ individuals and has implemented measures to elevate authoritative sources in search results and recommendations.

Elon Musk has consistently championed freedom of speech and envisioned Twitter as a digital town square where diverse perspectives can engage in open debates. The newly appointed CEO, Linda Yaccarino, echoed this sentiment, affirming the importance of free expression. However, GLAAD and other organizations advocating for marginalized groups argue that unchecked freedom of speech can infringe upon the rights of others.

Jenni Olson, GLAAD’s director of social media safety, emphasized the need for hate speech policies to prevent relentless bullying and harassment, which ultimately restricts individuals’ freedom of speech out of fear.