Anti-Trans Hashtags Soar On X

Anti-Trans Hashtags Soar On X

Anti-trans hashtags have recently soared with little to no repercussions or limitations. The hashtag #TransWomenAreConMen has been in very high use despite X's policy that users “may not directly attack other people on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability or serious disease”.  In violations, posts are supposed to be muted or limited, and in higher-level violations, users can be banned.

Earlier this summer, we reported that over 250 LGBTQ-related accounts were suspended overnight without warning and with no follow-up by X. The accounts had over 1 million followers. The accounts received a message that a user had reported them for violating the rules. The accounts had no adult content and were used for marketing and networking within the queer community. And right before summer began, X instituted a new policy that any posts that used "cis" or "cisgender" in their verbiage would be restricted as the platform considered them slurs. So apparently, X can monitor and restrict if they choose to, they just choose not to protect us.

The latest uptick in the anti-trans hashtag can be attributed to Trump's speeches over the weekend that quote him speaking against trans rights. There has also been major anti-trans rhetoric on X following the "trans in sports" hot topic, especially hot off the heels of the Olympics. X owner Elon Musk has a history of anti-trans rhetoric and has been in a very public battle with his trans daughter about the subject. Pretty embarrassing when your offspring tell the media that you are cruel and uncaring in regards to your queerness. Elon Musk was also quoted this summer as wanting to remove the word "groomer" from the list of banned speech. We know the conservatives like to call our community groomers, so this would let that happen even more.

Hate speech towards the queer community has increased greatly since Musk took over X in 2022. Slurs towards the trans and queer community have reached historic levels under his leadership.

Terrifying how many anti-trans hashtags are trending at the moment

Not trying to draw a conclusion about the future of Twitter, but it is remarkable to see a new anti-trans hashtag everyday ️‍️‍⚧️

— tldrjack (@tldrjack) December 21, 2022

It will be interesting to see how the platform changes, if at all, once the new president takes office. Musk and Trump are buddies, Kamala not so much. Will there be any forced limitations on the platform to protect the queer community? This weekend, the nation of Brazil banned X altogether with the country's leader stating that the platform is run without law and promotes hate speech and misinformation. Will this start a trend? How much money does X stand to lose with such banning?

 

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