Hello, lovely people.
As you have probably already worked out, this is a video all about YouTube demonizing disabled creators.
Yeah, I actually met like demonetizing, but I'm gonna go with demonizing.
So since YouTube brought in, a few months ago, these new rules called about monetization.
Some of my videos have been demonetized.
Even ones that I put up way before these new rules came in.
Now this has happened with a lot of my videos that have Claudia in.
Or where I'm talking about LGBT gay related stuff.
Pride
And what's really awful that LGBT videos are being demonized in this way and targeted.
Still at least, I understand why.
I mean, even videos that are pretty darn PG.
It's not like we're giving each other lap dances.
They're still targeted. You've decided to demonize any kind of sexuality that's not straight.
I get that. That is the culture we live in. It's awful, but it's a thing.
And I have a reason why my videos aren't allowed.
But why, dear YouTube gods, are my disability related video is being targeted?
Oh, and it's not just one. Oh no no no. It's all of them.
The video in which I explain part of my disability and give some really good tips on living with a chronic illness
Not suitable.
The video that says we can still take pride in being disabled people.
Nope. Nope nope nope nope nope.
The video in which I question, what does normal mean anyway?
That is not okay. No no no.
That video in which I share my experiences of losing part of my eyesight, but say hey!
You can still do cool stuff anyway.
Unacceptable
The video that asks for event organizers to maybe just consider disabled people's needs.
Oh terrible! No no no no. Get out! Get out! Can't do it. Can't do it.
Yeah, that last one particularly annoyed me, so I took to Twitter
and I tweeted out all of the different tags for my video and asked YouTube, sorry but...
Which one of these is so bad?
Is it wheelchair? Oh, is that a bad one? Is it deaf? Oh, that's oh yeah, sensitive topic.
Is it accessibility? Oh no no no.
Disabled friendly? Which tag is it?
Their response was...
Check our guidelines.
And when I told them I had...
Check our guidelines.
But clearly these videos are all fine.
As soon as they are manually checked by a human being, they're put back in the green and they're good to go.
Why is it happening in the first place?
They just won't tell me.
I'm not the only disabled created that this has been happening to.
Rikki Poynter, Andrea Lausell, Christabella Shaw, um...
Daniel James the Aspie World,
Connopolis, and Katie the invisible eye.
They've all had this.
And I'm sure that's just a few. I'm pretty sure there are other creators out there who just aren't talking about it.
Or maybe they are but no one's listening.
Connor and Andrea have also made videos about this, which I'm going to put the links to down in the description.
The best way for people to learn about disabilities, who have no experience of it previously, is obviously to hear from disabled people.
How can we normalize something if we're then putting this word into a space?
Where oh, it's so bad and big and scary. Can't talk about that.
So according to these guidelines, is the word "disability" so scandalous because its controversial?
Because it's incendiary?
What part of the guidelines is it contravening? And I put the guidelines again down in the description.
And I really want you to go and have a look and tell me why this is happening.
Is it really so terrible for disabled creators to have an expectation to be earning money from their hard work?
I don't have masses of subscribers, as you know, and my videos probably average around 2,000 or 3,000 views.
But YouTube will only manually go in and check a video that's been demonetized if it already has 1,000 views.
So if I lose the money from the first 1,000 views...
That's a lot of actual money gone.
As an experiment, last week I uploaded a video, My August Favorites.
And I didn't use any tags that are relating to gayness or to disability.
But all the other tags that I would normally use.
And funnily enough... It was immediately approved.
The real problem here is that YouTube doesn't tell you why things aren't being allowed. It just says that it's not.
There's never any reason given. How am I supposed to know what it is I'm supposed to change?
Or even what I'm supposedly doing wrong, which appears to just be talking about being disabled.
YouTube, for goodness sake, let's actually talk about this.
Let's have a proper little chat, please just tell me why this is happening, and what can be done about it.
Yes, I'm just addressing YouTube now because that's a thing. They don't have an email.
I've tried.
As a platform should be supporting and promoting your disabled creators. Come on up. Stand apart.
Move forwards. You know, leave all the other companies in the dust when it comes to being awesome and accessible.
*sigh*
Let me know what you think down in the comments below and if you have any idea of why this is happening.
And really what can be done about it.
And Youtube send me a bloody email.
Thanks