Twitter removes policy against misgendering or deadnaming transgender people

Twitter has quietly removed a policy against the ‘targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals’. This has triggered concerns over whether the Elon Musk-owned platform is becoming less safe for marginalised groups.

Twitter enacted the policy against deadnaming, or using a transgender person’s name before they transitioned, as well as purposefully using the wrong gender for someone as a form of harassment, in 2018.

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On Monday (April 19), the company also said it will only put warning labels on some tweets that are “potentially” in violation of its rules against hateful conduct. Previously, the tweets were removed. It was in this policy update that the Elon Musk-owned platform appears to have deleted the line against deadnaming from its rules.

Twitter’s decision to covertly roll back its longtime policy is the latest example of just how unsafe the company is for users and advertisers alike, said Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of the advocacy group GLAAD.

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“This decision to roll back LGBTQ safety pulls Twitter even more out of step with TikTok, Pinterest, and Meta, which all maintain similar policies to protect their transgender users at a time when anti-transgender rhetoric online is leading to real world discrimination and violence,” she added.

Twitter did immediately respond to a message for comment on Tuesday. (AP)