A group of LGBT video creators is accusing YouTube of discriminating by suppressing their content, restricting their ability to sell advertising and culling their subscribers, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday evening against the video site and its parent, Google. (WaPo)
The suit argues the platforms, which “wield unparalleled power,” have unfairly and routinely targeted channels with headlines or tags that use words including “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual” or “transgender” through software algorithms and manual reviews conducted by YouTube employees. (HuffPost)
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the creators of GNews!, Bria Kam and Chrissy Chambers (BriaAndChrissy), Chase Ross (uppercaseCHASE1), Lindsay Amer (Queer Kid Stuff) and Amp Somers (Watts The Safeword). (Variety)
The lawsuit also cites recent reports by The New York Times that suggested the video platform was in part to blame for the election of Brazil’s far-right and homophobic president Jair Bolsonaro, and reference recent appearances of Google and YouTube executives in congressional hearings. (NBC News)
A YouTube spokesperson said the company’s 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 Verge)