LGBTQ YouTubers File Suit Over Discrimination

The lawsuit says YouTube unfairly targets the LGBTQ community.

Taking Action

A group of YouTubers has filed suit against YouTube for demonetizing or otherwise restricting access to videos about LGBTQ issues.

The plaintiffs argue that YouTube unlawfully targets creators within the LGBTQ community, both by demonetizing their videos and by blocking or not recommending their content to viewers, according to The Verge — a troubling list of accusations against the video giant.

Algorithmic Discrimination

The lawsuit describes how YouTubers would talk about LGBTQ topics only to find that their videos were immediately demonetized if they included words like "gay" or "transgender" in the title — a sign, it argues, that YouTube's algorithmic content moderation tools were specifically targeting the community.

As recently as last week, The Verge reports, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki insisted that such a system didn't exist.

Protected Class

According to the plaintiffs, YouTube has broken the laws that protect the LGBTQ community from discrimination and are meant to prevent false advertising.

"YouTube is engaged in discriminatory, anticompetitive, and unlawful conduct that harms a protected class of persons under California law," the suit reads.

Thus far, YouTube hasn't commented on the lawsuit.

READ MORE: LGBTQ YouTubers are suing YouTube over alleged discrimination [The Verge]

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