(OPINION) CP – In a move that mirrors Twitter’s recent update to its user rules forbidding “misgendering” on the platform, Facebook has updated its terms of service to say that “denying existence” of self-determined gender identities will be considered “hate speech.”
According to internet and tech watchdog Reclaim the Net, the social media giant “quietly updated its Community Standards on ‘hate speech’ and prohibited ‘statements denying existence’ based on ‘gender identity.’ Since Facebook users can enter custom gender identities, this update means that denying the existence of a potentially unlimited number of gender identities could now result in a permanent account ban.”
Facebook’s Community Standards page on what constitutes hate speech says in a December 2019 post that their rules extend to protected traits which not only include race and religious affiliation but now adds “gender identity.” The platform has over 50 pre-filled potential gender identities with words that have no dictionary definition or coherent meaning such as “Bigender,” “Neutrois,” “non-binary,” and “Pangender.” Listed under Tier 1, the social media company now insists that content that targets a person or group with “statements denying existence” is not allowed. FULL REPORT
