Last Updated on January 24, 2020
Included in Facebook’s December 19, 2019, Community Standards update, the denial of one’s “gender identity” could constitute “hate speech.”
Within the new Community Standards on “hate speech,” “statements denying existence” based on “gender identity” are now prohibited, according to Reclaim The Net.
Facebook users can adopt a custom gender identity which would mean the possibilities for the existence of gender identities is potentially unlimited – and arbitrary.
In its Community Standards, Facebook says that its rules on “hate speech” apply to “protected characteristics” which are defined as “race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, caste, sex, gender, gender identity, and serious disease or disability.”
Aside from a Facebook user’s ability to customize their gender identity, Facebook offers over 50 pre-fabricated gender identities to choose from.
Reclaim The Net lists the wide array of identities:
- ender
- Androgyne
- Androgynous
- Bigender
- Cis
- Cisgender
- Cis Female
- Cis Male
- Cis Man
- Cis Woman
- Cisgender Female
- Cisgender Male
- Cisgender Man
- Cisgender Woman
- Female to Male
- FTM
- Gender Fluid
- Gender Nonconforming
- Gender Questioning
- Gender Variant
- Genderqueer
- Intersex
- Male to Female
- MTF
- Neither
- Neutrois
- Non-binary
- Other
- Pangender
- Trans
- Trans*
- Trans Female
- Trans* Female
- Trans Male
- Trans* Male
- Trans Man
- Trans* Man
- Trans Person
- Trans* Person
- Trans Woman
- Trans* Woman
- Transfeminine
- Transgender
- Transgender Female
- Transgender Male
- Transgender Man
- Transgender Person
- Transgender Woman
- Transmasculine
- Transsexual
- Transsexual Female
- Transsexual Male
- Transsexual Man
- Transsexual Person
- Transsexual Woman
- Two-Spirit
Punishments for breaches of Community Standards could range from warnings to bans.
In the Community Standards, Facebook states:
“The consequences for violating our Community Standards vary depending on the severity of the violation and the person’s history on the platform. For instance, we may warn someone for a first violation, but if they continue to violate our policies, we may restrict their ability to post on Facebook or disable their profile. We also may notify law enforcement when we believe there is a genuine risk of physical harm or a direct threat to public safety.”
Facebook has collaborated with foreign governments to clamp down on so-called “hate speech.”
Facebook also faced hefty fines for failing to remove “hate speech” on their platforms.
