Category: LGBTQ+

Twitch Sues Users Over Allegations of Harassment

On By emmaspaethIn Censorship, Ethical Issue(s), Gaming, LGBTQ+, Streaming, Video GameLeave a comment

Twitch files lawsuit against two users responsible for targeting and harassing Black and LGBTQIA+ streamers 

Photo Via MIKKELWILLIAM/GETTY IMAGES on Wired.com

On Thursday, September 9th, Twitch filed a lawsuit in US District Court for the Northern District of California against two users for violations of terms of services. The users CruzzControl and Creatine Overdose are accused of spamming the chats and comments of black and LGBTQIA+ streamers with racist and homophobic hate speech. Thousands of streamers have been targeting in these ‘hate raids’.

The two accounts are believed to have used bot software to spam channels with hundreds of hate comments within minutes, forcing some users to suspend streaming. Twitch alleges the account CruzzControl operated nearly 3,000 bots in recent hate raids. The two accounts were initially suspended after complaints filed against them before permanently banning their accounts.

The lawsuit follows one week after Twitch users initiated a boycott on the streaming platform over hate speech, using the hashtags #ADayOffTwitch and #DoBetterTwitch. Thousands of users banded together for a one day boycott of Twitch to pressure the streaming platform to take action against recent hate raids. In response, Twitch banned thousands of accounts using hate speech and created new chat filters to block slurs and racist, homophobic and bigoted language from entering chats and comments.

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‘Black Lives Matter Protest Outside of Fashion’s Biggest Night’

On By troypittman13In Censorship, Diversity, LGBTQ+, Social Issue(s)Leave a comment
‘ All the pretty dresses made the news, but… what about this?”

The theme of this year’s Met Gala was ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion’ as it honored the 75th anniversary of the Costume Institute Metropolitan Museum. This high profile event is held in New York City as it is often the kick-off city for fashion week. Here major fashion brands are showcased and are worn by celebrities (Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Russell Westbrook, etc) and highly favored people in the media. The growth of social networks has enabled us viewers to get a virtual seat at the Met Gala. The theme gives designers and celebrities the opportunity to show their creativity and their interpretation of the theme. Many were praised on this special night of September 13th. Dresses addressing the tax issues of the rich and LGBTQ history were some of the biggest highlights of the night.

What didn’t generate the same momentum of attention were the peaceful #BlackLivesMatter protests occurring just outside of reach of the rich and famous. The crowd of protestors were heard chanting the names of those who lost their lives from police brutality. Names as known as ‘George Floyd’ and locally known like ‘Mike Rosado’, a Bronx man who recently died at the hands of the police.

Peaceful protestors arrested by NYPD just feet away from Met Gala 2021.

Media sources say protestors chose this years Met Gala to protest because of the many eyes that would be there. It was an attempt to get the attention of those in power. While being physically carried away protestors chant the reasons for their protest. They were also heard saying their names, ages, and social media handles for by-standards to help keep them safe.

Being ‘Visible’ in the Media Has a Deeper Meaning for LGBTQ+ Individuals and Here’s Why:

On By Kirsten BeachIn Diversity, LGBTQ+, Movie, Netflix, News Media, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Within the past decade, we have seen tremendous progress being made to accurately represent LGBTQ+ individuals in the media, but even with that progress, we still have a ways to go until representation is equal across the board.

It is evident that social media has played a huge role in the increased acceptance and representation of the LGBTQ+ community–with trans and nonbinary representation in media and fashion growing tremendously (as evidenced by the success of breakout hits such as “Drag Race” HBO’s “Euphoria,” and Netflix’s “Pose”). In saying that though, things have not always been this way. Even just 15 years ago, LGBTQ+ individuals were very much ‘invisible’ in terms of media representation–with only a few accounts of gay and lesbian characters being depicted (often times not even in accurate ways.)

However, to further shed light on this evolution of LGBTQ+ depictions on television, comedian Wanda Sykes and actor Wilson Cruz executively produced a 5-part docuseries called ‘Visible: Out on Television’ that will launch on February 14th on Apple TV Plus. Sykes and Cruz said that they created this series to act as a testament to how LGBTQ people and their allies harnessed TV to tell the community’s stories.

Best known for his roles as ‘Dennis’ in 13 Reasons Why and Dr. Hugh Culber in Star Trek: Discovery, Cruz said, “It’s through television that we got to tell the entire society and our own culture what our lives are really like. Because of that amount of authenticity, we were able to move the needle to acceptance.” With that being said, visibility in the media has a much deeper meaning for those who are apart of the LGBTQ+ community, and we as a society should push to make sure their representation (along with other marginalized groups) continues to be made apparent in the media.

 

Sources: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/out-television-tracks-evolution-lgbtq-portrayals-n1119401

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/decade-lgbtq-pop-culture-visibility-stalled-political-progress-ncna1108786