There is a phenomenon that most people are unaware of; Facebook will ban you for reporting someone for making inappropriate comments. You think that’s not how it works? Well, you must not be trans.

I know some people are going to say that it isn’t true. They’re going to say that trans people are just too sensitive, and we should learn to take a joke. They will say that we are too confrontational, and if we just backed off, we wouldn’t get in trouble. These people are all wrong.

I’m not talking about making rude comments on some transphobes page. I’m talking about turning to Facebook when there is something inappropriate going on, like reporting someone for making death threats, or reporting someone for telling you to commit suicide, or reporting someone for saying you deserve to be raped, and Facebook tells you that that person hasn’t done anything against their “community standards.”

Death threats, threats of sexual violence, and encouraging suicide are all fine by Facebook’s Community Standards, as long as they are directed towards a trans person.

However, if a trans person stands up for themself, well, that is totally unacceptable. Multiple friends of mine who are trans have been put in Facebook jail for responding angrily to bullying attempts, including death threats. In contrast, the person who made the original threat was allowed to continue.

Facebook blocked a trans activist for saying that cisgender trans allies need to do more than post positive messages on International Transgender Day of Visibility and take positive actions. They told her that it was against community standards due to their protection of marginalized groups.

What?

Blocked for asking for help protecting a marginalized group because Facebook protects marginalized groups. Please tell me how that makes any sense.

Another example, Diane Ensign was promoting her book The Freedom to Be, a collection of interviews with trans people of various ages, including myself. She bought an ad on Facebook; however, the Facebook staff rejected the ad because it was about a “sensitive political subject.” Mind you, this is not a political book. This book is just trans people talking about their lives. For Facebook, though, the mere existence of trans people is too controversial to allow an author to promote her book.

I think that is the key. Facebook doesn’t see trans people as a group of, well, people. We’re a political issue as far as they are concerned. They think being trans is a philosophy up for debate instead of the intrinsic characteristic of a minority population, and they treat trans issues and trans people as such.

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That doesn’t explain the blocking of recipients of threats while ignoring the actual threats. I think that comes down to their moderators. Frankly, I think some of the moderators agree with the anti-trans sentiments expressed by some on their platform. How else can you explain being told that someone threatening to rape someone is within the community standards, but your reaction to being threatened is worthy of suspension?

Facebook likes to promote its new and improved anti-hate standards, but they have failed miserably when it comes to their attitude towards trans folx.