A significant LGBTQ support organization has left a prominent online app over changes to the site that have left some LGBTQ users feeling unsafe on the platform.
The Trevor Project Signs Off
The Trevor Project, a crisis intervention group for LGBTQ youth, has officially left a public space over increasing hate targeted at the LGBTQ community.
The decision came more than a year after Elon Musk purchased the platform.
Hate & Vitriol
In a full statement, they referenced “increasing hate & vitriol on the platform targeting the LGBTQ community” as the major reason they were deactivating their profile, which had close to 350,000 followers.”
Too Difficult to Function
“LGBTQ young people are regularly victimized at the expense of their mental health,” the statement read. “and the removal of certain moderation functions makes it more difficult for us to create a welcoming space for them on this platform.”
A Changing Landscape on X
The organization runs a national suicide prevention program, so the safety of LGBTQ youth is its top priority. Since Elon Musk purchased the platform, many critics and users have claimed that the platform is now toxic and unsafe for the LGBTQ community in particular.
Policy Changes
Blame has been laid on major policy changes and internal decisions under Musk. Most notable was the removal of a previous ban on misgendering and deadnaming, i.e. purposeful use of incorrect pronouns and pre-transition birth names of transgender people.
Important Jobs Dismissed
Musk also laid off many of the employees whose job it was to reduce harassment and misinformation, something that critics of Musk’s takeover commonly cite.
Lots of Deliberation
Leaving the public platform was a major consideration for the group, who took on “input from dozens of internal and external perspectives” before deciding it was “the right thing to do.”
Should They Stay or Should They Go?
They seemed to have some doubts of their own, stating that they “questioned whether leaving the platform would allow harmful narratives and rhetoric to prevail with one less voice to challenge them.”
No Space Is Perfect
The official statement ended with a final declaration that “no online space is perfect, but having access to sufficient moderation capabilities is essential to maintaining a safer space for our community.”
GLAAD Speaks Out
The LGBTQ+ media advocacy group GLAAD (formerly Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) recently published its Safety Index and Platform Scorecard. This scorecard ranks different platforms based on the level of safety they provide for LGBTQ users.
X Comes Last
GLAAD’s latest scorecard, published in June 2023, ranked Musk’s site as the least safe platform for LGBTQ users.
Not the Only Ones
So far, the Trevor Project is not the only LGBTQ non-profit to leave since Musk’s takeover. LGBTQ Youth Scotland, the San Francisco LGBT Center, and Mermaids, the UK charity for transgender youth and families.
Celebrities Walk Away Too
And it’s not just organizations. Many prominent LGBTQ celebrities, like Elton John and Ellen DeGeneres, have either stopped tweeting or deactivated their accounts entirely.
Follow the Link
The Trevor Project finished its statement by redirecting its followers to TrevorSpace.org, a “networking site designed specifically for ages 13-24.”
Other Platforms Still Viable
While they will no longer use it, the organization will still maintain a presence on other platforms.
The post Growing Concerns for LGBTQ Online Safety in the Wake of Policy Changes first appeared on Pulse of Pride.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / 9nong. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
