After years of complaints that YouTube is unfairly censoring LGBTQ content on its platform, a group of creators has filed a lawsuit against YouTube and its parent company, Google.
Five LGBTQ channels have joined together for the suit, which alleges that YouTube has discriminated against them by hiding their videos, removing subscribers, and denying advertising. They say the platform unfairly targets any video tagged with words like "gay," "transgender," or "bisexual," even when the videos have no mature content.
The creators say YouTube's censorship — which violates the platform's own policies — has negatively impacted their viewership and their income. The plaintiffs are seeking class-action status for the suit.
"The policy that YouTube has is meant to be neutral. They say they’re not going to flag us because we’re an LGBT show," Celso Dulay told BuzzFeed News. Dulay runs the channel Glitter Bomb TV with his husband, Chris Knight. "But it seems to be flagging us just because we’re LGBT."
For the couple, issues came up in 2016 when they had their ads for a holiday show denied over and over. It culminated in a call to a Google Ads customer service representative who said they were flagged for sexually explicit content and "the gay thing," Dulay said.
"There’s nothing sexual about the show. It’s a news show," said Knight.
Dulay said all the plaintiffs have experienced different issues, some overlapping, but the common denominator is that they're all LGBTQ creators creating LGBTQ content. The other plaintiffs include Queer Kid Stuff, an LGBTQ education channel; Watts the Safeword, which covers sex ed; Chase Ross, a transgender man known for his Trans 101 series; and BriaAndChrissy, a lesbian couple who make music and lifestyle content.
The group's lawyer, Peter Obstler, told BuzzFeed News that although Google is a private company, YouTube supposedly operates according to the four values in its mission statement, including freedom of expression and freedom of opportunity. He said what these creators have experienced amounts to "discriminatory application of their guidelines" and a breach of contract. Read more via Buzzfeed