Twitch removes anti-trans LGB Alliance from approved charity list for violating ‘hateful conduct policy’
Twitch’s large list of charities available in the fundraising tool has left users wondering how much vetting takes place.(Getty)
Twitch has removed the ‘gender-critical’ LGB Alliance due to potential violation of its “hateful conduct policies”.
The globally-recognised streaming platform received heavy backlash for adding the nonprofit organisation to its approved charities list after rolling out its charity fundraising tool.
But after viewers found that both the LGB Alliance and the often criticised nonprofit group Autism Speaks were both listed among the 130,000 charities available on the site, users urged Twitch to reconsider.
In response to a post by JessPlayGame with more than 16,000 upvotes, a Twitch administrator responded on Monday (12 December) that it had reviewed its “hateful conduct policies” and removed LGB Alliance.
“Twitch does not allow charities that violate our hateful conduct policies on Twitch, or whose organisation or leadership engage in or promote behaviours that violate our off-service policy,” the statement read.
The company spokesperson added the charity’s addition was not an “endorsement from Twitch” but that it regularly reviews the list to remove organisations that are in violation of its policies.
Despite this, Autism Speaks appears to still be available for fundraising on the platform, according to journalist Zach Bussey.
The group has routinely come under fire from autism activists who have claimed that it works to “end autism” rather than provide support to autistic people.
In response to a similar post asking the organisation to remove Autism Speaks, Twitch wrote: “The scale of this programme may mean that people within our community may not agree with or support all of the included organisations.”
PinkNews has contacted LGB Alliance for comment.
Users accuse Twitch of content moderation failure
But the sheer volume of charities available in the fundraising tool has left users contemplating the amount of vetting the site actually does in selecting charities.
“This will continue to be a source of bad publicity for Twitch,” Bussey wrote.
“They need to review charities they include as a first-party fundraising tool.”
While sifting through the number of charities on offer on the site, users and streamers have already found similarly problematic inclusions on the list.
Twitch streamer CaseyExplosion found on Friday (9 December) that the Women’s Liberation Front – which has previously advocated for firing trans people on the basis of their gender identity – is also approved for fundraising on Twitch.
While it was still available on the site’s fundraising tool, the LGB Alliance’s description read that “advances for LGB people” were under threat from “new ideologies conflating biological sex with the notion of gender identity.”
It also claimed those who, in its view, are attempting to replace “sex” with “gender” are erasing same-sex orientation.
PinkNews has contacted Twitch for comment.
