Meta Employees Protest Zuckerberg’s Anti-LGBTQ Policy Changes
It appears that some big changes are coming to Meta soon. The company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced changes coming to the brand’s LGBTQ policy across its platforms. In a post, Zuckerberg announced that Meta will eliminate fact checkers, which he described as “too politically biased.” Plus, the new policies will not penalize those who link certain identities with mental illness. This has sparked internal protests as many Meta employees have expressed their concerns over the brand’s commitment to its values regarding marginalized groups.
It’s a “total chaos” at Meta as employees protest Zuckerberg’s anti-LGBTQ changes
According to a report by 404 Media, Meta’s decision to specially allow people to call LGBTQ+ users “mentally ill” has sparked backlash at the company. Many Meta employees feel furious about the brand’s policy changes. The CEO confirmed on Monday a larger shift to do far less content moderation on all Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. The CEO announced on Monday a larger shift to do far less content moderation on all Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
“I am LGBT and Mentally Ill,” one post by an employee on an internal Meta platform called Workplace reads. “Just to let you know that I’ll be taking time out to look after my mental health.” Notably, the tech giant said that “we’re getting rid of several restrictions on topics like immigration, gender identity, and gender that are the subject of frequent political discourse and debate”.
There are allegations of political motives behind the move
Notably, the announcement came just a few weeks after Meta CEO met with President-Elect Donal Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort. That’s why many employees and analysts suspect there are political motives behind Meta’s anti-LGBTQ policy changes promoted by Zuckerberg. Furthermore, many critics argue that Zuckerberg is trying to appeal to right-leaning audiences. So, Zuckerberg’s public announcements have done little to ease tensions.
It’s worth mentioning that this isn’t Meta’s first content moderation controversy. Over the years, the social networking platform has faced criticism for its inconsistent enforcement of many policy changes for marginalized groups.
