Twitch users are pushing for a new label on the platform specifically for its transgender broadcasters, an effort that has intensified amid the divisive removal of its PogChamp emote.
Twitch is a hive for all kinds of content. From IRL streams to game broadcasts and even esports events, the platform offers a wealth of entertainment for all audiences – but some viewers are asking the site for an easier way to connect with certain streamers.
Transgender content creators have been calling on the platform for some time to create a label specifically for transgender streamers. This effort seems to have intensified this morning, as the site made a major change by banning the PogChamp emote in early January.
Several broadcasters are pulling together to support the transgender label, including the streamer ‘Miabyte’, whose tweet about the movement has attracted attention on social media.
While Twitch currently has an LGBTQIA + brand, some users request the site for a trans-specific label.
“Hey Twitch, GG about removing PogChamp,” she wrote. “If you can give us a #Trans tag so we can find other transgender creators, it’s going to make me 2021. And all the people who respond to this tweet agree.”
“Please stand behind trans creators on your platform,” she continues, noting that a specific trans creator label can help combat potential harassment and even ‘create bonds and communities to support each other.’
Twitch. Pls stand behind trans creators on your platform.
We’re getting harassment already, a label will not change that. It will do the opposite.
We can create bonds and communities to support each other. Help strengthen representation on your platform.
It will even increase your income. π
– Miabyte γ γ’ γ γ€ γ π΄Live NOW @ Twitch.tv/Miabyte π³οΈββ§οΈ (@themiabyte) 7 January 2021
Allegedly, Twitch had earlier claimed that they were working on such a label. After two years of silence, however, those in the community brainstorm their own ideas for the initiative.
It is noteworthy that Twitch already has an LGBTQIA + tag on its website, but transsexual broadcasters are hoping for a label that will lead particularly interested viewers specifically to their content.
A trans-tag is the most requested feature in terms of browsing and searching.
Appeared as an issue in various articles on magazine sites such as @techradar and @ Veelhoek.
Everyone wants it. Please tell us more about your Twitch solution. Https://t.co/3wTyv54Ofa
– Miabyte γ γ’ γ γ€ γ π΄Live NOW @ Twitch.tv/Miabyte π³οΈββ§οΈ (@themiabyte) 7 January 2021
So far, there is enough support online for the movement, and many users have noticed that a transgender label can help raise awareness of transstreamers and bring viewers to their broadcasts.
It also sparked a conversation about other specific tags that do not yet exist on Twitch, such as a tag for streamers with a different capability. While the movement continues to gain steam, users are hopeful that the platform will act and listen to its community to create a more inclusive environment.