Meta's new policy is a sickening evil sign of the times. Hate speech on their platforms is still theoretically banned by their "community standards," except for us despicable "faggots" and trans folks.

Talk about backlash! Facebook has NEVER enforced their rules well with respect to us queer folks. I'll never forget the time when memorials went up on Facebook to honor the life and premature death of a Lebanese pop star who was out as a lesbian.

The memorials were viciously attacked by Muslims urging queer people to commit suicide, calling us evil and perverted, and telling us their God hates us and wants us dead, often quoting hadiths or passages from the Quran to reinforce their hatred of us.

That was three or four years ago, and I helped organize a campaign to report thousands of comments like that. I helped, because Arabic-speaking queer people approached me and asked me to help.

Outcome? Facebook sent us all message after message - telling us that those comments urging us to kill ourselves do not violate community standards.

That was then!

Imagine what it's going to be like now for queer people trying to use Facebook in peace.