WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T SAY THAT? YOUR OWNER. The myth of hate speech, by Brendan O’Neill.

To my mind, the category of hate speech is as ridiculous, and as abominable in fact, as the idea of thoughtcrime. …

The category of hate speech has spread and spread, and now covers not only the Soviets’ original target of hard right-wingers — or just any right-wingers — but also people who despise religion (religious hatred), who oppose gay marriage (homophobia), who doubt gender dysphoria (transphobia). There is a seemingly unstoppable momentum to the category of hate speech, because once you accept the idea that some ideas are beyond the pale, then no idea is safe from restriction and punishment. …

We are rebranding ideas .. as hate speech. It is cynical and censorious, and in my view as equally as outrageous as rebranding criticism of the government a ‘thoughtcrime’.