The changes to the hate speech rules were part of a broader change in Meta's moderation policy. The company will allow its billions of social media users to accuse people of mental illness because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, among other changes to its moderation policy. This was reported by NBC News, UNN.
The company's new rules prohibit insults about intelligence or mental disorders on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, as they did in previous versions. However, the latest changes include an addition that allows for the accusation of LGBTQ people of mental illness because of their orientation or gender identity.
“We permit allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given the political and religious debate about transgenderism and homosexuality, as well as the common use of words like 'queer,'” the company's updated policy says.
The new hate speech rule is part of broader changes to Meta's moderation policy related to the control of online networks on its platforms.
On Tuesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company will replace its fact-checking program, which previously worked with trusted partners, with a new system where verification will be done by users themselves, similar to Community Notes in X. In this system, users can submit suggestions for “notes” on the content of others and then vote on whether these notes should be published. Zuckerberg explained that the changes are related to “recent elections” and “cultural changes” that emphasize the importance of freedom of expression.
There are many changes to the new hate speech rules, including the removal of the ban on insulting people's appearance because of race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religion, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or serious medical condition. Meta also revoked a policy that prohibited hate speech against people or groups based on their protected categories, and allowed the use of the word “it” to refer to transgender or non-binary people.
GLAAD, an organization that protects the interests of the LGBTQ community in the media, strongly condemned the changes.
“Without these necessary policies on hate speech and others, Meta is giving a green light to violence, venomous speech, and the devaluation of LGBTQ people, women, immigrants, and other marginalized groups,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.
She added that with these changes, Meta continues to normalize anti-LGBTQ hate for profit, endangering its users and genuine freedom of expression. Fact-checking and anti-hate speech policies protect freedom of speech.
A Meta representative did not respond to a request for comment.
Tech companies such as Meta, Amazon, Apple, and OpenAI have begun to show more support for President-elect Donald Trump. Meta, in particular, donated $1 million to the Trump Foundation for his second inaugural event.
Recall
Back in November 2024, Donald Trump announced a large-scale campaign against people from the LGBTQ+ community.
During his campaign, he promised to impose restrictions on transgender people, including signing an executive order that would cut funding for schools that he said engaged in “gender education.” Trump also stated that he would “not allow men to participate in women's sports” and would cut off federal Medicare and Medicaid funding for hospitals that provide sex reassignment services to minors.
In addition, during his first term, Trump imposed a ban on transgender people joining the US military, although those already serving at the time were not subject to dismissal. This decree was later rescinded by Joe Biden. And in November 2024, talks began again that Trump was planning to reinstate the ban.