Meta revises policies to permit 'mentally ill' labels for LGBTQ people

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and Threads, has rolled out significant changes to its content moderation rules, sparking outrage, particularly from LGBTQ+ people.

The revised hate speech guidelines released on Tuesday (Jan 7), now permit users to make allegations that connect mental illness or “abnormality” to someone's gender or sexual orientation.  

The updated guidelines state: “We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words like ‘weird.’”

This decision has been widely criticised for legitimising negative stereotypes and opening the door to harmful rhetoric.

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Removal of discrimination protections

Another significant change is the removal of policies that protected users from insults and hate speech based on characteristics like race, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and religion. Meta also eliminated rules that previously banned dehumanising language, such as referring to transgender and nonbinary individuals as "it."

Shift in content moderation and fact-checking

Along with changes to hate speech policies, Meta also revealed a shift in its approach to content moderation. CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta will replace its traditional fact-checking programme, which involved external partners, with a new community-driven system. 

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Concerns about Meta’s political ties

The timing of these changes has also raised questions about Meta’s political and business interests. Recently, Meta, along with companies like Amazon and Apple, donated $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s second inaugural fund. 

GLAAD, a leading LGBTQ advocacy group, has condemned Meta’s new policies. Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD's President and CEO, criticised the company, saying, “With these changes, Meta is continuing to normalise anti-LGBTQ hatred for profit—at the expense of its users and true freedom of expression. Fact-checking and hate speech policies protect free speech.”