YouTube, which is owned by Google, has
apologized for the ways it has “let the LGBTQ community down.”
The company acknowledged its mistakes –
primarily running anti-LGBT ads next to LGBT content and demonetizing
LGBT accounts – in a series of tweets.
“It's the last day of Pride Month and
we wanted to reach out to the LGBTQ community,” the company said.
“We're proud of the incredible LGBTQ voices on our platform and the
important role you play in the lives of young people.”
“But we've also had issues where we
let the LGBTQ community down – inappropriate ads and concerns about
how we're enforcing our monetization policy. We're sorry and we want
to do better.”
“We've taken action on the ads that
violate our policies, and we are tightening our enforcement. And
when we hear concerns about how we're implementing our monetization
policy, we take them seriously and make improvements.”
“It's critical to us that the LGBTQ
community feels safe, welcome, equal, and supported on YouTube. Your
work is incredibly powerful and we are committed to working with you
to get this right,” the company added.
YouTube has been criticized for
removing ads from LGBT videos, effectively demonetizing a user's
account.
(Related: Homophobes
target YouTube Pride video featuring Janelle Monae, Adam Rippon.)