Twitter has quietly removed specific protections against targeted misgendering and deadnaming from its Hateful Conduct Policy, as spotted by the nonprofit organization Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
According to Wayback Machine, the inclusion of misgendering and deadnaming was removed on April 8th, the day after Twitter announced it had updated the policy to clarify how it defines targeted harassment. The company had initially adjusted the same policy back in 2018 to better clarify that its protections against abuse applied to misgendering and deadnaming. GLAAD describes the adjustments as “the latest example of just how unsafe the company is for users and advertisers alike.”
Sadly, this change doesn’t come as much of a surprise with Elon Musk at the helm of Twitter. Musk has espoused transphobic ideologies and implemented a policy that brings transphobic users and other controversial figures back on Twitter. Last year, Musk’s daughter, who is trans, reportedly cut ties with her father.
Its Hateful Conduct Policy still explicitly prohibits attacking others based on race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease, but the choice to intentionally remove all mention of misgendering and deadnaming seems like a calculated jab at the trans community.
