Its ridiculous to suggest that lgbt content prevents fun videos. Also there is a lot of political content on HN. Its just shit flinging and random off topic rants that get removed.

They have a moderation formula and it works. Any social media platform requires it to succeed. That is the reality of today's internet. lgbt content is controversial in huge parts of the world.

So are Jewish people/content, but surely you wouldn't suggest banning them would be "working" in any way but superficially: that's called racism. Banning people based on innate characteristics that do no harm is wrong, as most people agree.

Anti discrimination laws exist for a reason. It would be cheaper and easier for businesses to tell disabled customers to go away instead of building a ramp. A club might please its members more by banning black people.

But we had decided that this kind of action is a negative to society. Tech companies have just slipped around existing laws. Its time that the laws be updated to include web services. TikTok was also exposed to be shadow banning disabled users.

The president was impeached, and there was no mention of it on HN. To say there is political content on HN is absurd.

Political content is allowed as long as it's on-topic for Hacker News.

https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...

https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...

Julian Assange, a political prisoner, was on the front page yesterday, for example.

Tech-adjacent politics is allowed, and given current politics it has been happening more frequently.

There isn't really a tech angle for the impeachment.

Not just tech-adjacent political content, but intellectually-stimulating political content, too.

There’s no reason we can’t make different judgements about different types of speech. I’m fine with HN removing political posts likely to result in flame wars, but I would have a problem with them blanket removing posts about, say, JavaScript. Likewise, I’m fine with TikTok removing harassing content but not pro–LGBT+ content. These are not contradictory positions.

> I would have a problem with them blanket removing posts about, say, JavaScript.

But even technical posts that reach the front page are sometimes removed. HN moderation policy is entirely vague and subject to the whims of moderators.

It's not entirely vague. Dupes are removed, flamebait is removed, incivility is removed, and pretty much everything is explained either by 'dang or by the Guidelines.

I wasn't arguing for free speech. I was arguing against homophobia, banning criticism of very specific political leaders (they don't ban political discussion), censorship of statues of religious figures and so forth. All of which things that TikTok has done.