Trans killings in Mexico spark protests, Meta is urged to make platforms safer for LGBTQ users, and Hungary's prime minister says “no money in the world” would make him accept, what he calls, LGBTQ “propaganda.”
Trans Killings Spark Protests By LGBTQ Community
At least three trans people were killed in the first two weeks of 2024 in Mexico.
According to AP, these killings have led to protests by the LGBTQ community. On Jan. 15, around 100 people marched carrying signs that said “your hate speech kills.” Another group spray-painted “trans lives matter” on the walls of Mexico’s National Palace.
“We are scared, but with that fear we’re going to keep fighting. We’re going to do everything in our power, so the next generations won’t have to live in fear,” Paulina Carrazco, a 41-year-old trans woman, told the AP.
Human rights group Letra S says at least 513 targeted killings of LGBTQ+ people have occurred in the past six years.
Meta Urged To Make Platforms Safer For LGBTQ Users
Photo via Facebook.
Human Rights Watch, Social Media Exchange, and other groups started the #SecureOurSocials campaign which calls for Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to improve the safety of LGBTQ people on its platforms.
According to the Washington Blade, the campaign is inspired by a 2023 report released by Human Rights Watch. This report documents the digital threats to the LGBTQ community that are fueled by these apps.
“Governments and tech companies share the responsibility for protecting human rights, especially for LGBT individuals,” said Rasha Younes, the LGBTQ rights deputy director at HRW, in an interview with the Blade.
The campaign asks Meta to address harmful content, be more responsive to user complaints, and enforce policies on a consistent basis.
Hungary PM Speaks On LGBTQ ‘Propaganda’
Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s Prime Minister. Photo by Vlada Republike Slovenije, via Wikimedia Commons.
Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s Prime Minister, said that “no money in the world” would make him accept, what he calls, LGBTQ “propaganda.”
This comes after the EU took legal action against Hungary by freezing funding to the country out of concern for LGBTQ rights, the asylum system, academic freedoms and more.
According to Pink News, on Jan. 17, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said those funds “will remain blocked until Hungary fulfills all the necessary conditions,” which includes changing LGBTQ policies.
One of those policies is a law that Hungary passed in 2022 that banned the discussion of LGBTQ people in schools and in the media. This law has been compared to Russia’s “anti-propaganda” bill.
This announcement did not appear to influence the PM as he took to X saying, “There is not enough money in the world to force us to let migrants in, and there is not enough money in the world for which we would put our children or grandchildren in the hands of LGBTQ+ activists.”
The Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff followed this video, saying that changing Hungary’s policies on LGBTQ rights would contradict the will of voters.
