LGBTQ YouTubers Hit Google With Lawsuit For Alleged Discrimination

Discussion in 'LGBT News and Events' started by OckyDub, Aug 14, 2019.

  1. OckyDub

    OckyDub is a Verified MemberOckyDub I gave the Loc'ness monstah about $3.50
    Site Founder The 10000 Daps Club

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2015
    Messages:
    6,691
    Daps Received:
    15,036
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    The planet of Memory Corpses
    Orientation:
    Homosexual
    Dating:
    Married
    This has been known for years. It's just another reason why I couldn't risk losing my job over my personal views due to a podcast / vlog and still not get paid from youtube.

    [​IMG]

    A group of LGBTQ YouTubers say they have been unfairly targeted with discrimination and suppression of their content because of their sexuality, a new federal lawsuit against the platform alleges.

    Eight video creators made the allegations in a suit filed late Tuesday night against YouTube and its parent company, Google. The suit argues the platforms, which “wield unparalleled power,” have unfairly and routinely targeted channels with headlines or tags that that use words including “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual” or “transgender” through software algorithms and manual reviews conducted by YouTube employees.

    One staffer told plaintiff Chris Knight that his video had been placed on restricted mode, thus limiting his viewership, because of “the gay thing,” audio recording obtained by HuffPost reveals.

    As a result, the plaintiffs argue, content creators have lost advertising revenue because of YouTube’s decisions.

    Married couple Bria Kam and Chrissy Chambers created a channel in 2012 to talk about LGBTQ issues and about navigating life as a lesbian couple. Their channel has more than 850,000 subscribers, but they say YouTube has unfairly targeted them by docking their subscriber count because of their LGBTQ content. In 2017, a music video by the couple promoting inclusivity was demonetized by the platform, meaning they can no longer make a profit off the video’s ads.

    “As a result of this unlawful conduct, Defendants caused this Plaintiff to lose its substantial viewer base and revenues derived from an audience that BriaAndChrissy LLC alone, had built up over the past seven years,” attorney Peter Obstler, of the firm Browne George Ross, wrote in the suit.

    Kam told HuffPost that as time went on, the couple felt YouTube was deliberately targeting them.

    “Before that, we’ve always thought that it was a wonderful community, a place where minority voices could be represented, where we could help young people questioning their sexuality and have a place to feel accepted,” Kam said. “It has now turned into something that we’re unable to invest our same effort and focus into because we’ve been so systematically shut down.”

    The suit also alleges that YouTube hasn’t done enough to protect its content creators from violent threats. In 2015, plaintiff Lindsay Amer created the “Queer Kid Stuff” channel as a way to help LGBTQ children struggling with their identities to accept themselves. In 2016, HuffPost wrote a story promoting a video from the channel that discussed how to talk to children about LGBTQ themes. But when neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer saw the story, they started a harassment campaign that flooded Amer’s comments section. YouTube did nothing, the suit alleges, and Amer said she lost potential subscribers when she was forced to turn comments off.

    In a statement to HuffPost, YouTube spokesperson Alex Joseph said the company has “strong policies prohibiting hate speech.”

    “All content on our site is subject to the same policies,” Joseph said. “Our policies have no notion of sexual orientation or gender identity and our systems do not restrict or demonetize videos based on these factors or the inclusion of terms like ‘gay’ or “transgender.’”

    The lawsuit’s many allegations aren’t new for those who have kept track of YouTube’s policy practices. As The Verge pointed out in 2018, LGBTQ content creators have long claimed the platform has unfairly targeted them, leading to their videos and channels being demonetized.

    During Pride Month this year, YouTube issued a rare public statement about a years-long campaign of homophobic harassment against one of its queer creators, Vox journalist Carlos Maza. Steven Crowder, an alt-right YouTuber who instigated the harassment campaign, later had his channel demonetized — but only after public outrage grew.

    The suit is seeking class action status and a trial by jury.
     
    Juan-Carlos dapped this.
  2. Nick Delmacy

    Nick Delmacy is a Verified MemberNick Delmacy Da Architect
    Site Founder The 10000 Daps Club

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2013
    Messages:
    3,759
    Daps Received:
    12,913
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Orientation:
    Gay
    Dating:
    Not looking
    We were pretty consistently targeted by Google/YouTube on articles on our website and podcasts/short films on our YouTube channel, even when the content was pretty tame.
     
    Juan-Carlos, OckyDub and mojoreece dapped this.
  3. RolandG

    Bae Material Squad Leader The 1000 Daps Club Supporter

    Age:
    44
    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2015
    Messages:
    773
    Daps Received:
    2,453
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Georgia
    Dating:
    It's complicated
    Do you think it was because of the gay angle or their algorithms. I would think that a silicon valley company would be too liberal to allow that type of discrimination to be written into code.
     
  4. Nick Delmacy

    Nick Delmacy is a Verified MemberNick Delmacy Da Architect
    Site Founder The 10000 Daps Club

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2013
    Messages:
    3,759
    Daps Received:
    12,913
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Orientation:
    Gay
    Dating:
    Not looking
    Pretty positive it was the algorithm. Our Tumblr posts (which were just automatic shares when we posted main site articles) used to get flagged a lot. Most times just for the word gay in the titles or shirtless men. One time it was just a close up photo of men holding hands. Another time it was us posting that “Swag is for boys, class is for men” meme. Maybe having the words “boys” and “men” in a post automatically flags their pedophile algorithm. I dunno.
     
    OckyDub dapped this.
Loading...
Similar Threads - LGBTQ YouTubers Google Forum Date
LGBTQ veterans discharged for their gender identity or sexual orientation to receive VA benefits Race, Religion, Science and Politics Sep 23, 2021
How an Atlanta barbershop serving LGBTQ+ clientele is changing the game Mental, Medical and Sexual Health Jul 7, 2021
Hallmark announces plans to debut 'LGBTQ storylines, characters and actors' LGBT News and Events Jul 17, 2020
LGBTQ people at heightened risk from coronavirus, warn advocacy groups LGBT News and Events Mar 13, 2020
GLAAD / Neon to Bring More Visibility to the Black LGBTQ Community LGBT News and Events Feb 20, 2020

Share This Page

Loading...