Google’s Ad Grants program subsidizes advertisements by the anti-LGBTQ+ hate group Do No Harm, including sponsored search results for the group’s so-called “Detransitioner Bill of Rights,” according to a search of Google’s ad transparency data.1 Do No Harm’s model policy, the “Detransitioner Bill of Rights,” wrongly suggests that gender-affirming healthcare can “contribute” to distress among trans young people and perpetuates the myth that trans identity is a phase by falsely claiming, “Taking a wait-and-see approach [to gender-affirming healthcare] … results in a majority of those minors coming to terms with their bodies and accepting the reality of their sex by late adolescence or early adulthood.”2 Hate groups like Do No Harm use anti-trans “detransitioner” rhetoric to erode public support for gender-affirming healthcare and increase support for policies censoring LGBTQ+ content in schools, online and in public spaces. They have also revitalized the discredited and dangerous practices of LGBTQ+ “conversion therapy.” Contrary to Do No Harm’s claims, research has consistently shown that affirmation and support for trans young people provide better mental health outcomes. A review of Google Ads data shows that at least eight digital advertisements on Google for Do No Harm were supported by the Google Ad Grants program.3 Among the ads, one links to the group’s “Detransitioner Bill of Rights” while one advertises the “dangers of gender affirmation.”4 Another sponsored ad titled “Save America’s Children” claims, “Do No Harm will fight to protect children from dangerous ‘gender-affirming care.’”5 A tag on the ads notes, “Google does not endorse this ad.” According to its website, the Google Ad Grants program “donates Search advertising to eligible organizations globally.” In response to a request for comment from Hatewatch, Google said it had no comment about how it moderates the content of ads in its Ad Grants program. Two Do No Harm ads sponsored by Google’s Ad Grants program seem to rely on the group’s anti-white discrimination language. The Southern Poverty Law Center has previously reported that the group perpetuates white supremacist conspiracy theories in its rhetorical attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies. Whereas DEI principles “recognize the lingering effects and continued reality of discrimination,” in op-eds, Do No Harm has falsely claimed DEI policies jeopardize white people’s health and require medical schools to admit unqualified Black students. Such language demonstrates how white supremacist conspiracy theories and racist pseudoscience animate anti-trans and anti-Black ideologies. One sponsored ad titled “Help Save Medical Education” claims to show a list of universities that “have placed racial conditions on student admissions and faculty hiring.”6 Another ad offering “7 tips to reject bias training” claims that “many medical professionals are being forced to take so-called ‘implicit bias’ training” and that “you can push back on implicit bias training” with links to the group’s events and donation platform.7 Since 2022, the group claims to have filed at least 27 cases or legal briefs alleging anti-white discrimination by medical schools, private scholarship programs or state governments, according to the group’s website.8
via splcenter: Google subsidizing hate group’s anti-transgender and anti-diversity ads
