LGBTQ creators are suing Google LLC because they say their content has not been fairly treated on the company’s video website YouTube.

According to a story in the Washington Post Thursday, there are eight plaintiffs in total, who each say that their content was suppressed, their advertising opportunities were restricted and even their subscriber lists cut. That, they claim, is discrimination.

The lawsuit filed in the Northern California District Court claims that YouTube has sold itself as a beacon of free-speech, but that’s not the case. That document states that YouTube is “engaged in a discriminatory and fraudulent profit scheme.”

“Community Members are now subjected to discriminatory, animus-based and content-based regulations and restrictions, designed to maximize Defendants’ financial and political interests,” the lawsuit reads. “As such, the fundamental bargain upon which YouTube was built has now been broken.”

The plaintiffs go on to say YouTube has for a number of years cracked down on various kinds of content, but the platform’s conservatism has taken aim at LGBTQ creators and the LGBTQ community in general.

“Defendants brand LGBTQ+ content as ‘shocking,’ ‘offensive,’ and/or ‘sexually explicit’ not because of the video’s content, but either because the viewpoints expressed involve what a senior Google/YouTube content curator dubbed the ‘gay thing,’ or because the content was posted by or viewed by YouTube Community members who identify as ‘gay,’” claim the creators.

YouTube has cracked down on various kinds of content over the last few years, and to some creators what might seem like innocuous words and topics are flagged by YouTube. The content is “demonetized” or reaches far fewer people because of the algorithm YouTube uses to spot types of content. That has eaten into the profits of many creators.

YouTube’s filtering policy might flag a video that simply teaches sex education, and while creators can come back and appeal about content being demonetized, it may take a number of days and by then they have already lost money. The company’s “advertiser-friendly content guidelines” are a minefield, say many creators, making it difficult at times to discuss completely harmless and inoffensive topics.

“We’re proud that so many LGBTQ creators have chosen YouTube as a place to share their stories and build community,” YouTube spokesperson Alex Joseph said in response. “All content on our site is subject to the same policies.”

Image: Andrew Perry/Flickr