Meta is ending its DEI programs as it eases protections against anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech

Author: Ryan Adamczeski

Almost immediately after announcing new content rules that allow users to abuse LGBTQ+ people, Meta has announced that it will be ending all of its major diversity, equity, and inclusion programs effective immediately.

Instead of inclusion-based efforts, Gale wrote that the company would be creating programs “that focus on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background.” Meta will also be ending its representation goals, which Gale claimed “can create the impression that decisions are being made based on race or gender,” adding, “While this has never been our practice, we want to eliminate any impression of it.”

Meta’s internal announcement comes shortly after leaked training materials reviewed by Platformer and The Intercept reveal that moderators on the company’s sites are now instructed to allow posts calling LGBTQ+ people “mentally ill” and denying the existence of transgender people. Posts like “A trans person isn’t a he or she, it’s an it” and “There’s no such thing as trans children” are deemed nonviolating under the new policies. Users are also now permitted to refer to women as “property.”

Meta has also faced backlash for shadowbanning LGBTQ+ creators and restricting access to LGBTQ-related hashtags like #gay, #trans, and #nonbinary under its “sensitive content” policies.

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Ryan Adamczeski