Over 250 LGBTQ Suspended On X (Twitter) Overnight!

Over 250 LGBTQ Suspended On X (Twitter) Overnight!

First of all, can we get back to just saying Twitter? Everyone is saying "X (formerly Twitter)." Elon, girl, get your ish together and get back to Twitter, stop trying to make fetch happen. Anyway, we all joke that once July comes around, the corporations forget all about LGBTQ pride and inclusion. Well, on July 4th, just as we were celebrating our nation and freedom, X (formerly known as Twitter) shut down over 250 queer profiles down permanently, and without warning.

For those of us who know Pink Media and the #ILoveGayNetwork, we know that over the years, their group of profiles has grown to a huge reach, representing many different groups within our community, highlighting regions that might not have their own visibility, and telling the stories of leaders from our entertainment, pop culture, political, and activist LGBTQ communities. They had over 1 million followers.

 

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Supposedly, there was a “user report” of violating platform rules. But how did that user report result in affecting ALL of the network's properties? And no way to contest, appeal, or get an explanation? As we know, social media is a big tool in getting the LGBTQ voice heard and connecting with others around the nation as well as a financial tool in terms of marketing that many businesses and organizations depend on.

In addition to the #ILoveGayNetwork, other adjacent profiles were affected, including Gay Desert Guide, Visit Gay Britain, and others. This comes off the heels of an amazing Pride campaign that reached over 17 million views from all of their properties. Hmmm...seems sus to us!

 

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Over 75 appeals were filed and met with nothing but radio silence. Matthew Skallerud, one of the founders and president of Pink Media told The Advocate that he believes that their spotlight on USA Today during Pride put them on the far-right's target list as many of that side's outlets picked out quotes from the article. The queer network was actually featured in many outlets during Pride month, highlighting the work they do in the community in regard to marketing, outreach, and relationships with queer-friendly corporations.

GLAAD has gotten involved and has called on Elon Musk to explain the platform's actions and to rectify the situation. This comes at an interesting time when the election is heating up and the queer community is using social media to share news, facts, and calls to vote. How convenient. Is this the beginning of the silencing of the LGBTQ community?

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