Update: TikTok has since apologised for the restriction of LGBT+ content on their platform. While this is not a direct response to this petition ask, it requires an ask with a different focus, so this petition is now closed.

TikTok has acknowledged that it restricts LGBT-related hashtags in some countries as part of its "localised" approach to moderation.

A report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) think-tank said many LGBT hashtags were "shadow-banned" in Bosnia, Jordan and Russia.

Shadow-banning is the process where the distribution of certain posts or hashtags is restricted or stopped altogether, without explicitly stating it is on a ban-list of any kind.

From the BBC investigation:

According to the ASPI, terms that were not linking to content included:

• "gay" in Russian and Arabic
• "I am a lesbian" and "I am gay" in Russian
• "transgender" in Arabic

TikTok claims “accountability and transparency” in their algorithm but keeps getting caught out for discrimination.

Sometimes even a single word describing gender identity is enough to have TikTok flag the item as pornography, leading to a post never finding its way to the public at all.

With social platforms being the life blood of LGBT+ communities, especially in marginalised or hostile societies, TikTok has a responsibility to allow everyone's voice to be heard, regardless of who they are or who they love.