For the first half of the program, sociologist Andy Lee Roth describes his latest work with research librarian April Anderson indicating that Google and other internet giants are filtering out material from LGBT publications, yet allowing anti-gay hate ‘speech.’ Roth ties it in to earlier research they published that tracked a rise in censorship and hostility around LGBTQ issues since Trump took office. Then attorney Peter Obstler explains in detail the federal lawsuit against Youtube that he filed on behalf of several gay or lesbian video producers — a case that might clarify whether internet platforms like Youtube have First Amendment obligations.
Dr. Andy Lee Roth is Associate Director of Project Censored and co-editor of its annual Censored books published by Seven Stories Press.
His recent article co-authored with April Anderson is “Queer Erasure” is in the Spring 2020 issue of the Index on Censorship. They also co-authored a chapter in Censored 2020, “Stonewalled: Establishment Media’s Silence on the Trump Administration’s Crusade against LGBTQ People.”
Peter Obstler is a partner in the San Francisco office of the Browne George Ross law firm.
