Meta's Silent Crackdown on LGBTQ+ and Reproductive Rights Accounts
In what advocacy groups are calling one of the biggest waves of censorship in years, Meta Platforms has quietly removed or restricted approximately 50 accounts across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp that focus on LGBTQ+, queer, and abortion-related content. The tech giant claims these accounts violated platform rules but has provided little evidence to support these actions, according to a Guardian investigation.
Dutch Account Among the Casualties
Among the affected accounts is Amsterdam-based The Queer Agenda, which shares news about queer parties and photo exhibitions. Founder Jackie van Gemert told reporters that their Instagram account was suddenly blocked by Meta without explanation. 'You suddenly lose your work and access to your community,' Van Gemert said, noting the organization lost 11,000 followers overnight when both their organizational and personal accounts were deleted.
Screenshots shared with journalists show Meta's automated system flagged The Queer Agenda for allegedly 'promoting human trafficking for sexual purposes.' Van Gemert believes the system reacted to photos of club-goers wearing minimal clothing, but questions why similar content from influencers in bikinis on beaches remains untouched. 'I don't know what's different about that than influencers in bikinis on the beach,' she remarked.
AI Moderation and Coordinated Reporting Campaigns
The problem, according to reproductive rights organization Repro Uncensored, lies in Meta's increasing reliance on artificial intelligence systems to detect rule violations. These systems are being manipulated by anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ activists who coordinate mass reporting campaigns against targeted accounts.
Lotje Beek of digital rights organization Bits of Freedom called the situation 'scandalous' but noted it aligns with Meta's recent pattern. 'After Trump's election, people couldn't search for '#democrats,' and certain abortion accounts were previously removed too,' she explained, linking the current crackdown to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's announced conservative shift earlier this year.
European Legal Implications
Beek emphasized that while Meta can establish platform rules, they must comply with European law. 'The European Commission must intervene here: the law must be complied with, and otherwise sanctions should be imposed on Meta,' she stated, referring to potential violations of the Digital Services Act which prohibits discriminatory content moderation based on political or ideological stance.
The situation highlights a broader trend in content moderation. According to reports, Meta is replacing 90% of its human moderators with AI systems despite warnings about algorithmic bias. GLAAD's annual report specifically recommended that AI should only flag content for human review, not make automated removals.
Real-World Consequences
The impact extends beyond social media metrics. Abortion hotlines in countries where abortion is legal have been blocked, cutting off vulnerable individuals from life-saving information. Organizations like Women Help Women, which fields 150,000 emails annually from women seeking abortion information, have been affected.
Repro Uncensored reports that incidents of account removals and severe restrictions have more than doubled this year, with 210 cases in 2025 compared to 81 in 2024. Many organizations receive vague explanations and face frustratingly slow appeals processes, though some accounts have been reinstated after public pressure.
Building Independent Platforms
Beek's advice to affected organizations is clear: 'Try not to be too dependent on one platform, and try to attract people to your own platform or site so you have control over your reach.' The Queer Agenda is following this path, having launched its own website and considering Signal groups and print magazines.
As Meta continues its transition to AI-driven moderation, the tension between automated content enforcement and protected speech rights appears destined to grow, with marginalized communities often bearing the brunt of algorithmic errors and biased systems.