Chase Ross started his YouTube channel to talk about his experience as an out-and-proud trans person in 2010. The friends he found through YouTube, he told The Verge, saved his life. Now, nine years later, Ross feels like the platform that he once called a supportive home is unrecognizable and actually harmful to his community.
Ross is one of eight creators — alongside Amp Somers, Lindsay Amer, Chris Knight, Celso Dulay, Cameron Stiehl, and Chrissy Chambers — attempting to fight YouTube over a number of systemic issues that the LGBTQ community say they’ve faced on the platform. In a lawsuit filed last week, these creators allege that YouTube hinders their channels by incorrectly restricting viewership of videos and not placing ads on…