Tayyaba
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) have teamed up to issue a public letter to social media platform CEO’s, which has been signed by more than 250 notable names as of now, in an effort to get the companies to help “curb anti-LGBTQ+ hate” on their platforms. All the stars that have signed this letter, called on the platforms to take immediate action to remove hateful content and to improve their policies for reporting and addressing abuse to protect the community.
The letter cited a number of recent incidents of anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech on social media, including the death threats that were sent to actress Elliot Page and the harassment of LGBTQ+ students on TikTok. The stars argued that these incidents are part of a larger pattern of discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ people, and that social media platforms have a responsibility to do more to protect their users.
Who is this letter addressed to?
The letter is addressed to Neal Mohan, who owns YouTube, Mark Zuckerberg, who oversees Instagram and Facebook, Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, and Linda Yaccarino with Elon Musk for their oversight of Twitter. The letter offers suggestions to social media platforms about adopting better policies to address hate speech, harassment, disinformation, and attacks against LGBTQ+ people. This includes addressing accounts and posts that perpetuate anti-LGBTQ+ extremist hate, as well as attacks on prominent trans public figures and influencers.
“True allies do not profit from anti-LGBTQ hate. There has been a massive systemic failure to prohibit hate, harassment, and malicious anti-LGBTQ disinformation on your platforms and it must be addressed. The very content you profit from is in violation of your own terms of service, which assert that you do not allow hate speech.”
Part of public letter that can be found fully here
Who are some of the celebs that have signed this letter?
Over 250 celebrities, including Emma Watson, Ariana Grande, Kristen Stewart, Shawn Mendes, Elliot Page, Ellen DeGeneres, Angelina Jolie, Cara Delevingne, Lil Nas X, Bebe Rexha, Sia, Billie Eilish, Selena Gomez, Jamila Jameel, Alec Baldwin, Ana de Armas, Demi Lovato, Halsey, Jane Lynch, Caitlyn Jenner, Billy Porter, Hailey Bieber, Bette Midler, Brian Tyree Henry, Cher, Cynthia Erivo, Emmy Rossum, FKA twigs, Halsey, Hayden Panettiere, Issa Rae, Jada Pinkett Smith, Janet Mock, Jennifer Coolidge, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonathan Van Ness, Justin Baldoni, Keke Palmer, Laverne Cox, Lily Tomlin, Mariska Hargitay, Mj Rodriguez, Olivia Wilde, Paris Jackson, Patti LuPone, Ricky Martin, RuPaul, Sarah Paulson, Stephen Fry, Taika Waititi, Tracee Ellis Ross, Viola Davis, and Wanda Sykes, have signed a letter to the CEOs demanding that the companies take their responsibility to create a safe and inclusive environment for all users more seriously and improve their hate speech policies.
Aside from some of the names mentioned here, there are more and more celebrities that are signing this letter by the hour.