Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, was reported to have suspended several hundred LGBTQ+ accounts for vague/unexplained reasons. The mass suspension grouped LGBTQ+ accounts in a purge of Russian bots that were programmed to spread disinformation in the United States.
Social media agency Pink Media announced that on July 4, all 250 of their associated accounts, both those that were and weren’t involved with their #ILoveGay network, were permanently suspended. When investigating the cause, Pink Media was told that the suspensions occurred because they had violated one of X’s rules stated in its terms of service, but did not offer which specific rule was broken simultaneously by 250 accounts, some of which hadn’t been active in some time.
Although told the bans resulted from a user report, Pink Media suspects this was planned, as all accounts were banned in the same moment seemingly without review, “which can only really be done internally by X,” they wrote in their statement.
It’s curious why the sudden ban of so many queer-run accounts coincided with a purge of Russian bots. NBC News recently reported that the U.S. Department of Justice was working with X to detect and remove bot accounts trained by Russian-designed artificial intelligence to spread disinformation, promote Russian propaganda, and stoke political tensions in America.
It’s possible that the Russian bot deactivation provided X an opportunity to silence LGBTQ+ voices on the website, as a hand-waved justification could loop Pink Media and the other affected accounts into being labeled as bots as well.
Ever since purchasing Twitter and rebranding it to X, Elon Musk has not-so-subtly promoted transphobic rhetoric that prompted many LGBTQ+ people and queer-friendly accounts to abandon the site in protest. Pink Media chose to stay because, despite the hostile environment for queer folk on X, they still found they had the greatest reach to marginalized LGBTQ+ groups from all around the world when compared to other social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.
While Pink Media remains hopeful that their suspended accounts will be reinstated so that they can continue to interact with their queer audience spanning over a million total followers, they are resolute and prepared to adapt to an evolving social media landscape where company CEOs like Elon Musk actively try to hinder their outreach.
