Discord bans misgendering and deadnaming
The policy update is a welcomed step to protect LGBTQ+ users as hate speech increases on large social media platforms
The Tea: In an update to its Hateful Conduct Policy social media app Discord has explicitly banned the misgendering and deadnaming of transgender and non-binary users.
The Context: Social media is rife with anti-LGBTQ hate speech, and major platforms are failing to protect LGBTQ+ folks against it.
- Earlier this year, GLAAD's third annual Social Media Safety Index found that all five major social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter – fail to protect LGBTQ+ users from hate speech
- X/Twitter was found to be the worst perpetrator of anti-LGBTQ hate speech, receiving condemnation from the Human Rights Campaign for running a transphobic platform-wide advertising campaign, and prompting the Trevor Project to leave the platform altogether.
The Bigger Picture: While the major social media companies still struggle to clamp down on hate speech, smaller niche platforms are creating safe spaces for queer folks:
- Social media company Post has updated its policies to bolster protections for members of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly transgender users.
- Spill, a Twitter alternative created with Black and LGBTQ+ people in mind, has been at the forefront of creating a safe space for queer and trans users
What folks are saying: GLAAD applauded the moves by Discord and Post as a step in the right direction toward proactively protecting LGBTQ+ social media users, while urging other platforms to do better.
