Is Twitter getting hard on Queer People?
Twitter now officially belongs to Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who bought the social media network with the promise of restoring “free speech” last week. The problem is that his interpretation of “free speech” allows vulnerable communities, including LGBTQ+ persons, to be openly bullied without repercussions.
According to NBC, Twitter’s administrators have finally taken some of the homophobia and transphobia on its website seriously in the last year, by removing tweets depicting drag queens as groomers and temporarily suspending a right-wing satirical account, the Babylon Bee, that spewed hateful rhetoric about trans people. Musk appeared to be irritated by the Babylon Bee’s suspension in April, and even approached its CEO, Seth Dillon, about perhaps buying Twitter as a result.
In sum, Musk’s bid for Twitter originated because he wanted to defend a transphobic comment, which does not bode well for LGBTQ+ individuals on its own. Furthermore, numerous notable far-right Twitter personalities have been cheering Musk’s recent impulse buy and have made it quite obvious that they intend to push the boundaries of their free speech (aka homophobic and transphobic comments).
What is more alarming is that most of the anti-LGBTQ+ language comes from Musk himself, making it very unlikely that he will block accounts that disseminate harmful misinformation about the community. Musk reposted (and then removed) an item over the weekend that incorrectly stated the individual who attacked Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer was his gay lover.
Last Monday, the daughter of Jordan Peterson, a Canadian right-wing academic who believes that women are the root of all evil, asked Elon Musk whether her father might return to the platform. According to TechCrunch, Peterson’s account was suspended when he deadnamed Elliot Page and made harsh remarks about his surgeon.
“Anyone suspended for small and questionable reasons will be released from Twitter jail,” Musk said.
Musk’s Twitter is already appearing unwelcoming to LGBTQ people, according to the Human Rights Campaign: “Musk has committed to reinstating the accounts of dangerous persons who spread extremism and disinformation.” When this happens, Twitter, a platform where many oppressed people, including LGBTQ+ people, find community while also facing an outpouring of hate, will swiftly become much more unfriendly.”
Accounts of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Steve Bannon, both important cultural personalities who have been quite loud against queer people’s rights and well-being, could be among those reinstated.
Musk’s new Twitter aims are clear: safeguard people’s rights while disparaging the LGBTQ+ community, particularly trans persons. The actual issue is that Musk probably doesn’t understand how harsh discourse directed at marginalized communities does more than just make people uncomfortable; it also serves as a hazardous trigger for empowering violence against our most vulnerable communities. If your sole understanding of trans people comes from tweets from right-wing extremists, you’re inclined to believe them — which is a frightening possibility.
Musk’s Twitter account is clearly not about defending free expression. If it were, it would be safeguarding the rights of disadvantaged people to feel safe enough to speak up on the platform. Instead, it’s about assisting bullies who are upset that they can’t bully as easily as they used to, and restoring their ability to speak down to individuals they don’t know anything about.
