LGBTQ groups praise Gov. Cuomo's daughter on her post about social media censorship

Long Island LGBTQ groups are praising Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo for an Instagram post about how the social media giant censors certain hashtags that are used by the LGBTQ community.

News 12 Staff

Jun 5, 2021, 1:13 AM

Updated 1,288 days ago

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Long Island LGBTQ groups are praising Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo for an Instagram post about how the social media giant censors certain hashtags that are used by the LGBTQ community.
In her post, Kennedy-Cuomo writes, "If #bi weren't censored, maybe I could have accessed the information and tools that as a bisexual person I would need to protect myself from increased rates of sexual victimization, homelessness, hunger, unemployment, hate crimes, and mental health challenges."
Robert Vitelli, with the Long Island LGBT Network, says hashtags are blocked because they can appear to be sexual in nature. However, he says they're an important resource for members of the community, especially young people, to find support.
"A lot of LGBT people are looking for that information, they're looking to connect with other people, particularly in this pandemic world where a lot of resources are virtual."
A spokesperson for Instagram says it has found no evidence of issues with those hashtags, and some are even being amplified for Pride Month.
Aiden Kaplan, of Pride for Youth, says they can do better.
"There has to be another way for us to be able to make sure we're protecting young people from seeing content they might not be ready to see, but also making sure individuals are able to access their community."