Worse yet, sex educators have noted that the policy restricts their ability to talk openly with the LGBTQ+ community about safer sex. And just last year, Facebook's new policy prohibiting "sexual solicitation" (which may have been influenced by SESTA/FOSTA) raised the ire of Pink News, which pointed out that it prevented users from discussing their sexual preferences freely, even in private groups. In the past, Facebook has been criticized by LGBTQ+ groups for its authentic name policy and for inconsistent moderation practices that banned the word "dyke " even when used as a reclaimed term by lesbians.
Regardless of one’s opinion on corporate Pride participation, it’s worth pointing out that social media companies’ policies often contradict their stated support. Not everyone is thrilled about it-in San Francisco, for instance, activists spoke out against Google’s participation in Pride after YouTube (which is owned by Google) refused to take down harassment of a prominent gay journalist from its platform. Many social media companies participate in Pride parades or offer photo filters or other digital swag for users to show their support. This month, in many parts of the world, the LGBTQ+ community is celebrating Pride and, both online and off, the tech industry has paid lip service to supporting the community.