LGBTQ online harassment still prevalent in social media platforms

A GLAAD report documented that LGBTQ online harassment still makes social media an unwelcome and unsafe place for the LGBT community.

The report is part of the second annual Social Media Safety Index, a report on LGBT user safety across the top social media platforms, i.e. Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

GLAAD– the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization– released the particular report on LGBTQ user safety across the five major social media platforms.

Analyzing LGBTQ online harassment by the numbers

In their survey, 84 percent of LGBTQ adults said there is not enough protection on social media to prevent discrimination, harassment or disinformation.

What’s more, 40 percent of adults, and 49 percent of transgender and nonbinary people, said they don’t feel welcome and safe on social media because of the levels of hate and harassment.

“Today’s political and cultural landscapes demonstrate the real-life harmful effects of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and misinformation online,” GLAAD’s president and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis, said in a statement.

Ellis warned that the hate and harassment, as well as misinformation and flat-out lies about LGBTQ people, that go viral on social media are creating real-world dangers.

“Social media platforms are active participants in the rise of anti-LGBTQ cultural climate and their only response can be to urgently create safer products and policies, and then enforce those policies,” she added.

How the five social media platforms were rated

In their survey, GLAAD graded each social media company on their measures to protect LGBTQ users.

They also took into account features like offering gender-pronoun options on profiles and block ads that could be harmful or discriminatory.

All five of the companies received failing grades, with each getting a score under 50 out of a possible 100.

Instagram received the highest score of 48 percent while TikTok got the lowest at 43 percent.

Jenni Olson, GLAAD’s director for social media safety and author of the report, said: “The reality is, there’s very little transparency and very little accountability. And people feel helpless.”

Responses of platforms on LGBTQ online harassment

In response to GLAAD’s survey, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said they’re working to provide a safe place for all people even as they’re working to improve the experience for LGBTQ users.

A Meta spokesperson said, “We prohibit violent or dehumanizing content directed against people who identify as LGBTQ+ and remove claims about someone’s gender identity upon their request.”

“We also work closely with our partners in the civil rights community to identify additional measures we can implement through our products and policies,” the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, YouTube spokesperson Jack Malon said that hateful or violent speech targeting the LGBT community is prohibited on the platform.

“Over the last few years, we’ve made significant progress in our ability to quickly remove hateful and harassing content. This work is ongoing, and we appreciate the thoughtful feedback from GLAAD,” Malon said.

Meanwhile, a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement that they’re discussing the report’s findings with GLAAD.

On the other hand, a statement from TikTok didn’t directly address the report but said their company is working to create an “inclusive environment.”