YouTube quietly scrubbed the phrase gender identity and expression from its public-facing hate speech policy earlier this year, prompting concern fromLGBTQ+ advocates who warn the change removes clarity around protections for transgender and nonbinary users. According to the company, theres no change in policy. Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.However, the altered language occurred between January 29 and February 6, according to archived versions of the policy reviewed by The Advocate via the Internet Archives Wayback Machine. On January 29, the platforms hate speech policy explicitly barred content that promotes violence or hatred based on gender identity and expression. By February 6, the next time a snapshot of the page was stored in the archive, that language was no longer listed. Instead, the revised version grouped Sex, Gender, or Sexual Orientation as protected categories, omitting any reference to gender identity.A YouTube spokesperson told journalist Taylor Lorenzs Substack newsletter User Mag, which first reported the change, that the update was part of routine copy edits and claimed enforcement of hate speech policies remains unchanged. However, the platform has not explained why it chose to remove an explicit reference to gender identity, a term that is foundational to many users lived experiences and protections under civil rights law in several jurisdictions.YouTube reiterated its position in a statement to The Advocate. Our hate speech policies havent changed, a YouTube spokesperson said. They also said that as we told the reporter, the User Mag story mischaracterized the copy edits made to YouTubes Help Center.The change comes as the Trump administration moves aggressively to erase federal recognition of transgender and nonbinary people. Just hours after returning to office on January 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that the U.S. government would only recognize two sexes male and female determined at birth. The order requires federal agencies to remove references to gender identity from policies, identification documents, healthcare programs, and nondiscrimination protections.Related: Anti-LGBTQ+ 'Libs of TikTok' Exposed, Conservatives Are Extremely MadAdvocacy groups and LGBTQ+ creators say the revision is more than cosmetic its a dangerous rollback at a time when transgender people face escalating attacks both online and offline.The larger implications of YouTubes actions should concern everyone, a spokesperson for GLAAD told The Advocate. When a company, or political leaders, decide that certain groups of people are to be seen as less than others it too often results in real-world harm. YouTube and other platforms should be protecting LGBTQ creators and users during a time when right-wing extremists and others are seeking to harm them.Longtime trans YouTube creator Samantha Lux told User Mag shed noticed a rise in hateful rhetoric on the platform. The right-wing creators have gotten a lot more brave about how they talk about trans issues, Lux said. If you say that youre protecting against gender, its more like you cant discriminate against somebody for being a woman. But gender identity really zones in on the trans aspect of it.Related: Watch Libs of TikToks Chaya Raichik exposed in stunning, cringe-worthy interviewThe update comes amid broader cultural and political efforts to erase references to gender identity. Just weeks ago, Iowa became the first state to eliminate gender identity from its civil rights protections. At the federal level, the Trump administration has moved to eliminate mentions of gender identity in agency communications. Project 2025, a sweeping conservative policy roadmap, calls for deleting the terms sexual orientation and gender identity from government and public discourse.In GLAADs 2024 Social Media Safety Index, YouTube scored 58 out of 100. The platform was credited for launching a pronoun display option for creators but criticized for falling short in key areas. YouTube is the only major platform evaluated as lacking a clear policy protecting users including public figures from targeted misgendering and deadnaming. The company also provides little transparency on addressing wrongful demonetization, filtering, and removing LGBTQ content from ad services.Related: From Meta to X, most major social media companies are failing LGBTQ+ users: GLAADYouTube quietly removing gender identity and expression from its list of protected groups is a major radical shift away from best practices in the field of trust and safety and content moderation, a GLAAD spokesperson told User Mag. Like Metas recent dangerous rollbacks of hate speech protections for transgender and nonbinary people, the removal of these specific words appears to be a responsive alignment with the anti-LGBTQ agenda of Project 2025.From Your Site Articles