Over 250 celebrities in film, music and other industries signed an open letter to pressure social media companies to censor certain speech regarding transgender individuals and the transgender movement.
Figures such as Alyssa Milano, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and many more signed the letter arranged by GLAAD (formerly Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which they sent to the CEOs of Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Twitter. Among other things, the letter takes issue with “misgendering,” or referring to a person by their biological sex rather than their preferred gender, and “deadnaming,” which is calling a person by their birth name rather than their preferred name.
“Targeted misgendering and deadnaming of trans and nonbinary people is a widespread mode of hate speech across all platforms, utilized to bully and harass prominent public figures while simultaneously expressing hatred and contempt,” the letter states.
The letter also urges to combat “disinformation” surrounding trans issues, particularly cross-sex medical interventions for children, which the letter refers to as “medically necessary” healthcare. The letter demands platforms treat such content in the same way as COVID-19 disinformation.
“There has been a massive systemic failure to prohibit hate, harassment, and malicious anti-LGBTQ disinformation on your platforms and it must be addressed,” the letter states.
Furthermore, the letter calls out YouTube for not taking down videos that “misgender,” and asserts that social media platforms allow speech that endangers transgender people due to the profits it produces. (RELATED: Elon Musk’s Twitter Lifts Ban On ‘Misgendering’ And ‘Deadnaming’ Trans People)
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 30: Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine (C) attends a reception to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year in the East Room of the White House on September 30, 2022 in Washington, DC. An admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Levine is the first openly transgender four-star officer across the country’s eight uniformed services. Rosh Hashanah began on September 25 and ended on September 27, 2022. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“Our policies prohibit content that promotes violence or hatred against members of the LGBTQ+ community,” YouTube spokesperson Jack Malon told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Over the last few years, we’ve made significant progress in our ability to quickly remove this content from our platform and prominently surface authoritative sources in search results and recommendations. We remain committed to this important work, and we appreciate the thoughtful feedback from GLAAD.”
The letter goes on to suggest that the science is settled regarding the efficacy of cross-sex medical interventions to treat gender dysphoria.
“Despite the fact that every leading medical and psychological association affirms the safety and necessity of gender affirming healthcare for trans people, including youth, inflammatory disinformation falsely asserting that this healthcare is dangerous is allowed to fester on your platforms because it drives clicks and profit,” the letter states. “Trans youth and their families and care providers are being endangered by your negligence, causing many families to flee their homes.”
GLAAD and HRC did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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