Streaming platformTwitchhas officially removed the controversial UK group LGB Alliance from its list of charities. This decision came after a public backlash against the group’s recognition on the platform, withTwitchultimately deciding that the LGB Alliance’s anti-transgender advocacy violated the platform’s policies against hateful content.Twitch streamers often use the platform to raise money for causes they think are worthy. For example, in November, Ludwig raised about $300,000 for the charitable organizations Alveus Sanctuary and No Kid Hungary. Meanwhile, in March, fellowTwitch streamer Asmongold raised almost $400,000to help the charity CARE in its effort to assist people affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Twitch makes this process easier with the built-in Twitch Charity tool, which lets authorized creators easily set up fundraisers for pre-approved charities.RELATED:Hasan Banned, Then Quickly Unbanned from TwitchWhile this has undoubtedly helped many groups do a lot of good,Twitch Charity recently came under fire for its inclusion of the LGB Alliance. The British nonprofit claims to advocate for the interest of gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals but explicitly excludes transgender people from the groups it considers worthy of protection. Branded by some as an anti-trans hate group, Twitch users were outraged to see it counted among the platform’s approved charities.
The LGB alliance claims to recognize the “reality of biology” and maintains that sex and gender are binary and determined in utero. The group officially denies accusations of transphobia but claims that gender transition is the result of internalized homophobia, calling gender-affirming care “homophobic conversion therapy.” Counterintuitively, the organization opposes the effort to outlaw conversion therapy in the UK, believing that campaigns against it are a “political cover” to promote gender affirming care for trans people. The group’s founders have also accused UK schools of encouraging lesbians to sexually transition and opposed LBGTQ education over fears of “predatory gay teachers.”
The LGB Alliance is generally considered a fringe movement, with some labeling it a hate group. Twitch seems to have come to the latter conclusion eventually, with administrators removing it from Twitch Charities after a thorough review. Still, while many will no doubt be satisfied with the decision, the incident raised the question of why Twitch did not conduct a more rigorous vetting process before adding The LGB Alliance to its system. This is especially glaring given thesupport for trans people from the Twitch community.
Interestingly, Twitch’s response referred to a similar controversy regarding the inclusion of Autism Speaks in Twitch Charities. The largest autism advocacy group in the United States, Autism Speaks is controversial for its characterization of autism as a disease. Others have accused it of prioritizing the complaints of parents over the well-being of autistic people. However, while Twitch concluded that The LGB Alliance’s attitude towardtransgender peopleviolated policies, the platform did not reach a similar conclusion about Autism Speaks.
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