As social platforms edit their hate speech policies, LGBTQ+ non-profit GLAAD is highlighting how these changes signal a greater identity shift—one with long-term implications for both users and advertisers.

In its “Social Media Safety Index 2025” report, the organization ranked each major social platform by the quality of its safety protections for the LGBTQ+ community. Using indicators like explicit protection from hate, harassment, and violence on the platform; the ability to change pronouns on profiles; and demonetizing or shadowbanning LGBTQ+ content, GLAAD gave six major platforms the following scores out of 100:

• TikTok: 56
• Facebook: 45
• Instagram: 45
• YouTube: 41
• Threads: 40
• X: 30

“Brands and advertisers should take heed that the values of these companies have changed,” said Jenni Olson, senior director of social media safety at GLAAD. “We know that this kind of overt hate and welcoming of bigotry is not in alignment with the pluralistic values of most Americans.”

Big social media policy changes

X, formerly Twitter, received the lowest score because it claims to only enforce its safety policies “where required by local laws” and requires subjects to self-report these instances. However, this year’s biggest changes in policy come from Meta and YouTube.

• While the GLAAD report noted YouTube prohibiting advertisers from excluding users from seeing ads based on sexual orientation and identity as a positive change, the platform removed "gender identity and expression" from its list of protected characteristic groups.
• Meta updated its hateful conduct policies early this year to “allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words like 'weird.'”

In April, Meta’s Oversight Board acted on this policy when it decided against removing two posts attacking trans women, which the board said didn’t qualify as hate speech. This decision marked another move in Meta “moving its products away from longtime industry standard best practices and deeper into toxicity that harms users,” said GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.

“As Meta continues to adopt right-wing postures that foment hate and bigotry against historically marginalized communities, the company should expect that many users, creators, and advertisers will find other places to spend their money, time, and attention,” Ellis said.

While TikTok receives the highest score from GLAAD for harassment policies that provide the most “comprehensive protections for LGBTQ people,” like prohibiting misgendering, deadnaming, and conversion therapy content, the platform should “show greater transparency around the wrongful removal and demonetization of LGBTQ+-related content and accounts,” read the report.

The social platform sentiment shift

Some 9.3% of US adults now identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, up from 3.5% in 2012, Gallup reports. Ninety percent of the advertising industry says featuring the LGBTQ+ community in advertising is very important, an increase from 84% in 2021, according to GLAAD’s 2024 “Visibility Perceptions in Advertising” study.

• Sixty-nine percent have funds specifically allocated to reaching the LGBTQ+ community, up from 59% in 2021.
• Nearly 3 out of 4 LGBTQ+ adults and over 2 out of 5 non-LGBTQ+ adults say they’re more likely to purchase a product or service from a company or brand that supports the community, per the report.

For marketers continuing to advertise on platforms that place their content next to hate speech, there are potential repercussions.

• Forty percent of US Gen Z adults and 19% of all US adults have stopped purchasing from brands due to their DEI approaches, per a March 2025 survey from Ad Age and The Harris Poll.

Beyond strengthening or restoring protection policies, GLAAD is urging platforms to provide mandatory training to all content moderators, protect the data privacy of LGBTQ+ users, and work with creators to reinforce policies to users.

“Their extreme shifts away from best practices in trust and safety are really shocking,” said Olson. “Executives 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.”