GLSEN Exits Twitter/X Following Increasing Concerns Over Safety for LGBTQ+

GLSEN EXITS TWITTER/X FOLLOWING INCREASING CONCERNS OVER SAFETY FOR LGBTQ+ YOUTH

The National Non-Profit, along with Partner LGBTQ+ Organizations, Will Leave in Protest of the Social Platform’s Inability to Curb Cyberbullying and Hate Speech

December 19, 2023 - Today, GLSEN announces its exit from Twitter/X following increased cyberbullying and harassment against transgender and LGBTQ+ youth. GLSEN’s exit is supported by partner organizations: The National Center for Transgender Equality, ActionLink, Equality Federation, Family Equality, PFLAG National, Lambda Legal and Out & Equal who share in the growing concerns over the waning protections for LGBTQ+ users on the social media platform.

The organization shared its letter on Twitter/X addressing the group's collective concerns. The statement can be found here.

“Twitter has become an increasingly unsafe platform for LGBTQ+ people, especially youth. Twitter’s leadership team is enabling anti-LGBTQ, anti-trans, anti-Black and antisemitic tweets by removing parts of their hateful conduct policy,” said GLSEN Executive Director, Melanie Willingham-Jaggers. “Our priority will always be the safety and well-being of our LGBTQ+ community. As long as the policies and practices of Twitter remain inadequate to address these concerns, we feel it is our responsibility to take action.”

Twitter/X’s recent policy changes have birthed a new platform that enables its users to harass and target the LGBTQ+ community without restriction or discipline. These discriminatory practices have been met with little to no regulation and GLSEN will no longer engage with the medium.

Research from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), an organization that monitors online hate speech and misinformation, found that Twitter/X failed to take action against 86% of posts containing some form of hate speech. GLSEN joins a number of LGBTQ+ organizations leaving the platform and urges Twitter/X to reenact policies that prohibit such behavior so that all users are protected from harassment.

For press inquiries, please reach out to:

GLSEN
Madison Hamilton, Director of Communications and Public Voice
press@glsen.org

Lucky Break PR
Mark Umbach, Lucky Break PR
mark@luckybreakpr.com
Briana Velasco, Lucky Break PR
briana@luckybreakpr.com

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About GLSEN

GLSEN is a multi-racial, intergenerational LGBTQ+ organization working nationally and locally to transform K-12 educational systems in the United States. Each year, GLSEN programs and resources reach millions of students and educators in K-12 schools, via action at the national, state, and local level. Since 1990, GLSEN has improved conditions for LGBTQ+ students across the United States and helped launch an international movement to address LGBTQ+ issues in education.