Trans Rights Groups Accuse Twitter of 'Deboosting' Tweets Containing LGBTQ Terms

Trans rights advocates have noticed that when tweets are sent as direct messages, certain phrases, like "LGBT," "trans," or "BLM," do not display in the preview window.

The activists claim that, in contrast, for other tweets without these terms, the preview window displays as it should, with just the link to the actual tweet shown.

Trans Safety Network, a UK-based research organization, claimed that Twitter deboosted tweets containing certain terms and prevented them from appearing as previews in direct messages, according to The Independent.

The organization says that terms like "trans," "gay," "lesbian," "queer," and "bisexual," among others, are being deboosted, which prompted concerns on Twitter LGBTQ censorship.

Some preliminary testing indicates that Twitter is deboosting tweets containing certain words, including preventing them being shown as previews in DMs.

Current suspected words include (without letters not punctuation):

- Tr@ns
- G@y
- Lesbi@n
- Qu££r
- Bisexu@l

Try yourself.
— Trans Safety Network (@trans_safety) April 1, 2023

Trans Media Watch chair Jane Fae* stated that Elon Musk came to Twitter with lofty declarations about his dedication to free expression.

Jane Fae believes there is no "innocent reason" for the occurrence. "It is hard to imagine what an innocent reason would look like - this would put the lie to that."

Fae said that, if this is the case, "obviously he is one of that selective freedom of speech activists who is only for "speech that endorses his personal preferences," per The Pink News.

"As for arguments that 'trans' topics may be sensitive: it does not make sense for DMs, and it certainly does not make sense when one sees that this 'setting' does not impact terms like 'tro*n' or 'trans-identified' that many trans folks find deeply hurtful," she said.

Elon Musk: Freedom On Twitter Has Limits

When Elon Musk bought Twitter last year, which he refers to as a "digital town square," he said he intended to safeguard free expression on the social media platform.

Elon Musk has reaffirmed that commitment ever since the $44 billion deal was finalized. Still, he has also vowed to prevent Twitter from becoming "a free-for-all hellscape," in which anything can be uttered without any repercussions, per Spectrum News.

The tech tycoon said the new Twitter policy allows "freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach," adding that hateful tweets would be "max deboosted & demonetized."