Latest news with #SarahKateEllis
USA Today
23-05-2025
- General
- USA Today
What are the colors of the pansexual flag? Get to know the Pride flag's meaning, history
What are the colors of the pansexual flag? Get to know the Pride flag's meaning, history Show Caption Hide Caption Pride flag colors, explained: Meanings behind the rainbow colors The rainbow Pride flag has become a symbol for the LGBTQ+ community. Here's how the flag came to be and what its colors represent. Have you heard of the term "pansexual" before? Pansexuality refers to someone attracted to all people no matter their gender identity. The term has become an increasingly large part of our culture lexicon in recent years, and with prominence comes the propensity for misconceptions. Here's a look at the pansexual flag and its history. What do the colors of the pansexual flag mean? The pansexual flag has three horizontal stripes, and each color has a different meaning: Hot pink: Represents attraction to women Yellow: Represents nonbinary attraction Blue: Represents attraction to men LGBTQ glossary: Definitions every good ally should know History of the pansexual Pride flag The pansexual pride flag was created around 2010 to "bring awareness to the community," according to the Human Rights Campaign. The flag was designed to help further distinguish pansexuality from bisexuality. 'It's a very fluid thing': What your pansexual friend wishes you knew Is pansexuality different than bisexuality? Pansexuality and bisexuality are not interchangeable words. Bisexuality does broadly describe attraction to more than one gender, while pansexuality is attraction regardless of gender. However, the two terms occasionally overlap in nuanced ways and are entirely personal to the individual who identifies with them. "Pan is more about all-inclusive, and bi tends to be more than one," GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis previously told USA TODAY, adding, "The golden rule, honestly, is to call someone by how they identify."
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Most Americans support corporate LGBTQ+ Pride efforts despite pull-back by major brands: report
As some companies scale back their public LGBTQ+ engagement under political pressure, a new GLAAD-Ipsos survey released Thursday paints a far more supportive picture of American consumer sentiment. According to the data, 70 percent of Americans say that knowing a company offers LGBTQ+ Pride merchandise either positively affects or does not impact their purchasing decisions. An even greater share—71 percent—believe companies should be free to support Pride Month if they choose. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. 'The big headline is that Americans think it's important to be inclusive, to include LGBTQ people, and to include all people,' GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis told The Advocate in an interview. 'When they see companies do that, they think they run a good company. They take care of their employees, and they take care of their consumers.' According to Ellis, the findings challenge the portrayal that supporting Pride has become too risky for business. In recent months, several high-profile brands—including Target and Bud Light—have scaled back LGBTQ+ visibility in the face of organized right-wing backlash. PR Daily and Gravity Research report that 39 percent of Fortune 500 and Global 1000 executives say they plan to decrease Pride participation this year. Notably, none said they plan to increase it. Nearly 20 percent said they still hadn't decided, even with Pride just weeks away. Related: Ditching DEI hurt Target's sales in first quarter In New York, the effect is already visible. This week, the New York Times reports that about 25 percent of corporate donors to New York City Pride have either canceled or scaled back their support, citing economic concerns and fear of retaliation from the Trump administration. That includes past top sponsors such as Mastercard, Target, Nissan, and Garnier. Now donating as a 'silent partner,' Target has opted out of public recognition. On its earnings call this week, Target reported a 3.7 percent drop in same-store sales and pointed to backlash over its retreat from diversity initiatives as one of the factors dragging down performance. Despite those corporate anxieties, GLAAD's findings show that the public hasn't turned away. Among Black respondents, 64 percent said they are comfortable with brands publicly supporting LGBTQ+ organizations. That number was 55 percent among Hispanic respondents and 60 percent among Americans ages 18 to 34. GLAAD also found that 85 percent of Americans believe CEOs are responsible for speaking out on issues that matter, and 81 percent say freedom means all people should be able to live and express themselves as they choose, so long as they're not hurting others. Tristan Marra, who leads research efforts at GLAAD, said that the organization's Accelerating Acceptance data reveals even deeper connections between personal relationships and public support. 'If someone were to tell a non-LGBTQ+ person that they were trans or nonbinary, more than 70 percent would support them,' Marra said. 'That's the power of knowing someone. And in terms of media, 78 percent of non-LGBTQ+ Americans say everyone deserves to feel represented in media, including movies and TV shows, and even gaming.' She stressed that the work ahead lies in ensuring those personal connections and representative stories reach the public, especially those in the 'movable middle.' Related: Booz Allen Hamilton drops sponsorship of WorldPride, cites Donald Trump's anti-DEI order Ellis underlined that corporate retreat is driven not by consumer sentiment but by political pressure, particularly from the Trump administration and its allies. 'There is intimidation happening by this administration,' she said. 'We're all tricking ourselves if we think that CEOs are not ultimately about their bottom line. But the smart ones understand how it's all intricately connected.' The survey's release comes as brands navigate mounting scrutiny from conservative activists and LGBTQ+ advocates. Some companies have tried to split the difference, quietly maintaining internal Pride celebrations while stepping back from public-facing campaigns. But Ellis warned that approach often backfires. 'Target is trying to play the middle,' she said. 'They're trying to play both sides, and it's like—there aren't sides to this. There's only one way here, and that's to be inclusive.' Ellis also pointed to the unique cultural and economic influence of LGBTQ+ Americans and their allies, especially among the fastest-growing consumer groups. 'Companies that bow to opponents of inclusion will miss out on key growth segments,' she said. That warning is backed by economic data cited in GLAAD's release: the purchasing power of LGBTQ+ consumers was estimated at 1.4 trillion dollars in 2022. The buying power of Black consumers is expected to reach 1.7 trillion dollars by 2030, and the Hispanic population has grown by 85 percent since 2000. The research also emphasizes the importance of representation—especially for transgender people, who remain disproportionately targeted and misunderstood. Ellis noted that most Americans still say they don't personally know someone who is transgender. 'Until we get that number inverse from 70 percent of people saying they know someone who's trans, we're going to face all the problems we're facing—whether it's on the field, in the locker room, in school, in the boardroom,' she said. She pointed to the struggle for gay and lesbian people to be accepted through shows like Will & Grace in the early 2000s. Related: WorldPride 2025 expects huge 'visibility' march & rally in D.C. amid Trump's anti-LGBTQ+ agenda GLAAD is responding by expanding its media strategy, monitoring podcasts and digital platforms for LGBTQ+ mentions, and proactively placing trans voices in those ecosystems. 'We were asleep on it all,' Ellis admitted of progressive activists in the 2024 election. 'On the influencer and podcast spaces, we just didn't see the value.' But now, she said, GLAAD is 'all over that,' guided by new research into media consumption habits and effective messaging to reach the movable middle. Despite the challenges, Ellis remains optimistic. 'Pride is a celebration. It is joy, and that is resistance right now,' she said. 'It is also always a protest. I never know when we're not protesting and pushing the world to be a better place for everyone.' She added that the fundamentals have not changed even in this polarized moment. 'We haven't lost Americans' [views] on our community. And they're the ones that always end up at the end having the last word.'
The Hindu
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Major social media platforms fail to protect LGBTQ users: Report
Major social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube have failed to protect LGBTQ+ users from hate and harassment, in part, because they intentionally rolled back previous safety practices, the advocacy group GLAAD said Tuesday in its annual Social Media Safety Index. The report said that recent 'unprecedented hate speech policy rollbacks' from Instagram and Facebook parent Meta Platforms and Google's YouTube are 'actively undermining the safety of LGBTQ people' both online and offline. Meta's rollback now allows users to call LGBTQ people 'mentally ill,' among other policy changes. The scorecard assigns numeric ratings to each platform with regard to LGBTQ safety, privacy, and expression. Elon Musk's X received the lowest score at 30 out of 100, while TikTok came in highest at 56. Meta's Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Google's YouTube were in the 40s. The group's methodology has changed since last year, so the scores are not directly comparable to previous reports. 'At a time when real-world violence and harassment against LGBTQ people is on the rise, social media companies are profiting from the flames of anti-LGBTQ hate instead of ensuring the basic safety of LGBTQ users," said Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD's president and CEO. While X has received the lowest scores since Musk's takeover of the platform in 2022 — when it was called Twitter — Meta's backslide can largely be attributed to its recent policy shift. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in January that Meta is removing restrictions on topics like immigration and gender 'that are out of touch with mainstream discourse,' citing 'recent elections' as a catalyst. GLAAD calls the rollback 'particularly extreme." Representatives for Meta, TikTok and X did not immediately respond to messages for comment. GLAAD said Google recently removed 'gender identity and expression' from YouTube's list of protected characteristic groups, which suggests that the platform is "no longer protecting transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people from hate and discrimination." Google says this is not the case. 'We confirmed earlier this year our hate speech policy hasn't changed. We have strict policies against content that promotes hatred or violence against members of the LGBTQ+ community and we continue to be vigilant in our efforts to quickly detect and remove this content,' Google said in a statement. Although GLAAD acknowledges Google's statement, the organisation stresses that gender identity has not been restored as a protected characteristic on YouTube's hate speech policy page. 'YouTube should reverse this dangerous policy change and update its 'Hate Speech' policy to expressly include gender identity and expression as a protected characteristic,' the report says. GLAAD's report makes policy recommendations for protecting LGBTQ users, though it's unclear if the platforms will take these up, given that many have rolled back such protections. For instance, GLAAD says platforms should protect LGBTQ people from hate, harassment and violence, prohibit targeted misgendering and 'deadnaming' of transgender users and explain steps it takes to stop wrongfully removing or demonetising legitimate accounts and content related to LGBTQ topics.
Axios
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
GLAAD: Social media's hate policy rollbacks are "appalling"
Meta 's and YouTube's updated moderation policies are threatening the safety of and harming LBGTQ people, according to a new report from GLAAD. The big picture:"Recent years undeniably illustrate how online hate speech and misinformation negatively influence public opinion, legislation, and the real-world safety and health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people," GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said. "It's just appalling to see such extreme shifts away from best practices in trust and safety," Jenni Olson, senior director of GLAAD's Social Media Safety Program, told Axios. "Execs and employees at these companies owe the LGBTQ community answers about what their next steps are going to be to address these issues and stand up for the safety of their LGBTQ users," she said. Driving the news: In its annual Social Media Safety Index, GLAAD gave failing scores (out of 100) to all six of the platforms it tracks with TikTok at 56, Facebook and Instagram both at 45, YouTube at 41, Threads at 40 and X at 30. GLAAD's report analyzed 14 indicators, including having public policies that protect LGBTQ people from hate, harassment and violence, and that prohibit content promoting so-called conversion therapy. While all six platforms received failing scores, TikTok received the highest as it prohibits misgendering and deadnaming along with "conversion therapy" content, the report said. But the report criticized TikTok's transparency. "Major ideological shifts from Meta have been particularly extreme," Ellis said. The study suggested Meta remove "harmful exceptions" in its policy, such as their decision to now allow debunked "allegations of mental illness or abnormality" when it comes to gender and sexual orientation. Catch up quick: Meta relaxed its moderation policies in January, which immediately raised concerns about leading to more real-world violence. Meta's Oversight Board called on the company to investigate the impact on human rights. YouTube also removed "gender identity and expression" from its protected characteristic groups on its site. The company said its policies have not changed, but GLAAD noted "it is an objective fact that the gender identity protection is no longer expressly present in its public-facing policy." Between the lines: GLAAD changed its scorecard methodology, which negates year-to-year comparisons. The report has been released annually since 2021, as Axios' Ina Fried was first to report. The other side: TikTok, Meta and X did not respond to requests for comment. YouTube: " We confirmed earlier this year our hate speech policy hasn't changed. We have strict policies against content that promotes hatred or violence against members of the LGBTQ+ community and we continue to be vigilant in our efforts to quickly detect and remove this content," Boot Bullwinkle, a YouTube spokesperson, said in a statement to Axios. What we're watching: GLAAD offered five key recommendations in its report for the social media platforms.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Major social media platforms failing to meet ‘basic standards' of safety for LGBTQ users: GLAAD
Six of the nation's leading social media platforms are failing to keep LGBTQ users safe from online bullying and harassment and quell the spread of disinformation, according to a new report from GLAAD, an LGBTQ media advocacy group. Now in its fifth year, GLAAD's Social Media Safety Index evaluates policies and product features of TikTok, X, YouTube, and Meta's Instagram, Facebook and Threads on more than a dozen LGBTQ-specific indicators, including whether platforms have public-facing policies against deadnaming and misgendering or regulations preventing users from engaging in hate speech that targets LGBTQ people. The social media landscape has shifted drastically since the group published its first report in 2021, said Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD's president and CEO, 'with new and dangerous challenges in 2025.' In January, Meta, owned by Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, dropped some of its rules protecting LGBTQ people, allowing users to share 'allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality.' The updated language, part of a broader overhaul of the social media giant's content moderation practices, also permits users to argue for 'gender-based limitations of military, law enforcement, and teaching jobs' and sex- or gender-based exclusion from spaces like restrooms and sports. 'What started as a movement to be more inclusive has increasingly been used to shut down opinions and shut out people with different ideas, and it's gone too far,' Zuckerberg said in a video announcing the new policies. He said the November elections, which saw Republicans retake control of Congress and the White House, 'feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech.' President Trump celebrated the updated policies, which included eliminating the company's third-party fact-checking program. In its report on Tuesday, GLAAD called the changes at Meta 'draconian' and said the company should restore sections of its hateful conduct policy that shielded LGBTQ people from harassment. The group said it was also 'deeply concerned' about what it said was a similar policy shift at YouTube, which removed gender identity and expression from its hate speech policy's list of protected characteristics last month. In a post on X, the social platform owned by billionaire and Trump White House adviser Elon Musk, YouTube said it removed that language as part of a 'routine' copy edit to its Help Center, and its policy against hate speech had not changed. YouTube's public-facing policy states it does not allow content that promotes violence or hatred against individuals based on 'Sex, Gender, or Sexual Orientation.' Each of the six platforms failed to pass GLAAD's evaluation, with TikTok scoring the highest, 56 out of a possible 100, and X, at 30, scoring the lowest. A TikTok spokesperson declined to comment on GLAAD's findings. Representatives for X, YouTube and Meta did not return requests for comment. 'At a time when real-world violence and harassment against LGBTQ people is on the rise, social media companies are profiting from the flames of anti-LGBTQ hate instead of ensuring the basic safety of LGBTQ users,' Ellis said in a statement Tuesday. 'These low scores should terrify anyone who cares about creating safer, more inclusive online spaces.' GLAAD acknowledged Tuesday in its report that some companies have worked to make LGBTQ users, particularly transgender users, safer on their platforms. TikTok's hate and harassment policies, for instance, 'provide the most comprehensive protections for LGBTQ people,' according to the group's report, including a prohibition on intentional deadnaming and misgendering, and YouTube this year rolled back a policy that allowed advertisers to exclude some users from seeing ads based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Advertisers on YouTube are also prohibited from promoting conversion therapy, a discredited practice that aims to change a person's gender identity or sexual orientation, but the platform has not adopted a similar policy for individual users, according to GLAAD. While it ranked lowest on the organization's scorecard, X is one of just two platforms — the other being TikTok — that prohibit both targeted misgendering and deadnaming, though that protection is granted only 'where required by local laws,' according to X's abuse and harassment policies. The company also 'must always hear from the target' to determine whether a violation has occurred, effectively requiring targeted individuals to engage with and report content that might be against the rules. Jenni Olson, GLAAD's senior director of social media safety, said tech companies 'are taking unprecedented leaps backwards' in their policies regarding targeted harassment. 'This is not normal,' she said in a statement. 'Our communities deserve to live in a world that does not generate or profit off of hate.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
