Online video platform, YouTube, has suspended the account of Nigerian charismatic televangelist, TB Joshua for promoting conversion therapy. According to the Human Rights Commission, conversion therapy, sometimes known as “reparative therapy,” is a range of dangerous and discredited practices that falsely claim to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.
YouTube suspended the channel after Open Democracy, an independent global media organisation, approached them to ask whether this content — videos of the televangelist, TB Joshua, engaging in conversion therapy — violated the platform’s community guidelines.
OpenDemocracy reports that between 2016 and January 2020, his YouTube channel, Emmanuel TV, posted at least seven similar clips showing him engaging in violent exorcism to ‘cure’ gay and lesbian congregants of their sexual orientation by casting out “the demon of homosexuality”.
“YouTube’s Community Guidelines prohibit hate speech and we remove flagged videos and comments that violate these policies. In this case, we have terminated the channel,” a YouTube spokesperson told openDemocracy.
“It is great to see social media platforms take a greater role in tackling these harmful practices by banning accounts spouting hate speech and promoting conversion practices,” said Daina Rudusa, spokesperson for OutRight Action International, the global LGBTIQ human rights organisation told openDemocracy. “So-called conversion therapy is neither therapy, nor does it result in conversion” and it has been recognised as being “tantamount to torture.”
Unlike Youtube, Facebook only “removed a number of pieces of content” from his page, TB Joshua Ministries, for “violating these policies”.
“We don’t allow attacks against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, including content promoting conversion therapy services,” said a Facebook company spokesperson. “We take attacks on the LGBT+ community incredibly seriously and encourage people to report this kind of content when they see it so we can investigate”
“We have had a long and fruitful relationship with YouTube and believe this decision was made in haste. We appreciate your prayers and support as we are making every effort to appeal this decision and see the channel restored,” TB Joshua Ministries posted on Facebook to announce the YouTube suspension to followers.
