Twitter, one of the leading social media platforms, recently updated its “hateful conduct policy” in a way that many consider to be compromising the safety and respect of transgender individuals. Previously, the Twitter policy strictly prohibited misgendering and deadnaming of transgender individuals as part of its safeguard measures. However, these protections were removed in the recent amendments. The shift in policy has stirred controversy worldwide, with critics asserting that the platform’s safety standards for marginalized groups are being undermined, particularly under Elon Musk’s leadership.
Details of the Changes in Twitter’s Policy
Under its former regulations, Twitter had a clear stance against any content aiming to dehumanize, degrade, or reinforce harmful stereotypes about protected categories, which included targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals. The newly revised policy, however, no longer offers this protective stance.
Further changes include alterations to how the platform manages tweets falling foul of its hateful conduct rules. Instead of removing infringements entirely as in the past, Twitter will now apply warning labels to only some violating tweets. This move might inadvertently permit an increase in harmful content presence on the platform, thus potentially posing a threat to the safety of marginalized communities.
Critic’s Concerns Regarding Safety on Twitter
The evolvement of Twitter’s policy has reignited concerns about the safety of marginalized groups. Critics have frequently voiced their worries, contending that under Elon Musk’s leadership, Twitter has become a less secure environment. They maintain that it fails to adequately protect users from various online harms like trolling, state-coordinated disinformation, and child sexual exploitation.
The Harmful Act of Deadnaming
Deadnaming refers to referring to a trans, non-binary, or gender-expansive person by their birth name or the name they used before they transitioned. The act of deadnaming can be deeply injurious, as it invalidates a person’s identity and may expose private information that the person prefers to keep undisclosed.
Resisting the use of an individual’s chosen name or pronouns constitutes a form of transphobia or cis-sexism, which can escalate to harassment, discrimination, and assault. Moreover, deadnaming significantly contributes to mental health issues such as depression and suicidality in affected individuals.