New lawsuit alleges YouTube is discriminatory against LGBTQ+ community

A group of LGBTQ+ content creators is suing Google-owned YouTube because they believe YouTube is discriminatory when it comes to serving up related community content.

What are the details?

According to the Washington Post, the content creators in question insist that YouTube is suppressing their content, which reportedly restricts ability to sell advertising and bring in new subscribers.

The lawsuit, which was filed on Tuesday, also says that content policies are not enforced equally and "gives a pass to producers with large audiences, even when their content is hostile to gay, lesbian, or other communities." The suit, which is seeking class action status, also notes that the company engages in "unlawful content regulation, distribution, and monetization practices that stigmatize, restrict, block, demonetize, and financially harm the LGBT Plaintiffs and the greater LGBT Community."

Peter Obstler of Browne George Ross, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said that discrimination is "embedded into the business model" of the company.

"By controlling an estimated 95 percent of public video communications that occur in the world, Google and YouTube wield unparalleled power and unfettered discretion to apply viewpoint-based content policies in a way that permits them to pick winners and losers," he said.

What else?

The group of content creators also allege that the company's algorithms and personnel blacklist LGBT-related content, including terms like "gay," "lesbian," and "bisexual."

The lawsuit also notes that YouTube-produced videos are able to electively shut off comments on its products while still earning advertising revenue.

The Post reported that a spokesperson for the company would not comment on the impending litigation.

You can read more background on the lawsuit here.