Meta announces controversial changes and LGBTQIA+ people can be associated with ‘mentally ill’

Meta, responsible for platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp, announced this Tuesday, 7th, changes to its Community Guidelines, allowing publications that link mental disorders to gender identity and sexual orientation. The update, valid globally, also addresses issues related to immigration.

Mark ZuckerbergCEO of Meta, was responsible for publicizing the changes, including the end of the independent content checking program and greater flexibility in removals. In a video, he explained that the changes remove restrictions on topics such as immigration, in addition to allowing discussions about “transgenderism” and homosexuality without censorship.

The new guidelines allow for “accusations of mental abnormalities related to gender or sexual orientation, especially in debates of a religious or political nature.” This means that speeches that associate LGBTQIA+ people with mental disorders will be able to circulate on Meta’s platforms.

Religious views

Furthermore, the reformulated rules allow the exclusion of certain groups from positions such as military, police and educators to be defended, as long as the justifications are based on religious beliefs. Meta also opened up discussions about the use of spaces such as bathrooms and schools, specifically about the exclusion of women or trans people.

Another controversial change was the removal of the ban on associating ethnic or national groups with the spread of Covid-19. As a result, posts associating Chinese people with the virus and speeches against immigration become permitted.