Twitch Should Listen to Streamers and Add a Trans Tag

Twitch Should Listen to Streamers and Add a Trans Tag

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It has been over two years since streamers on Twitch started asking for a trans tag, and Twitch needs to finally listen to its community.

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Twitch Should Listen to Streamers and Add a Trans Tag

No other game streaming platform is as giant as Twitch. Millions of viewers watch streams on Twitch every day, and there are often tens of thousands of streamers live at the same time around the world. The site has expanded from just gaming streams to include plenty of IRL, music, and esports options as well. In order to help viewers find new streamers to watch, Twitch has a tag system to help drive discoverability on the platform.

As Twitch grows, the company has made efforts to focus more on diversity and inclusion. However, Twitch has a rocky track record when it comes to its inclusive initiatives. Sometimes, the company can correct some mistakes, like with Twitch’s removal of the Blind Playthrough tag for its ableist connotations. When it comes to streamers and viewers in the LGBTQ+ community, there are some notable tag options. The main tag that members of this community can use is the LGBTQIA+ tag, and a drag tag was also added last year to recognize drag artists and streams. These choices are a great start, but several streamers are asking for Twitch to add a trans tag next.

Why Do Twitch Streamers Want a Trans Tag?

Twitch Should Listen to Streamers and Add a Trans Tag

Ever since Twitch removed communities in 2018, tags have been the main way streamers have been able to add descriptors for their streams. Numerous LGBTQ+ Twitch streamers have called on the streaming company to add a tag for transgender streamers to use, for several reasons.

The biggest reason that streamers want a trans tag added boils down to discoverability. Viewers want to be able to find content created by trans streamers, and it is often difficult to do so. A common point among supporters for the trans tag is that, while the LGBTQ+ tag is great as an umbrella term, it is too broad for a more specific search. It isn’t a bad thing, but a more specific tag will help drive engagement for this other marginalized identity.

A common counterpoint to the idea of a trans tag is that people say it shouldn’t matter. Oftentimes, opponents of the idea will respond by saying a person’s gender identity shouldn’t be the focus of a stream, instead it should just be about the game they are streaming. It’s a fundamentally flawed response, but it opens up a conversation about what Twitch is becoming. Typically, when viewers go to watch streams on the site, the streamer themselves can be just as much of a draw as the content they are creating. For example, while Dr Disrespect is no longer on Twitch, many viewers will watch him because of his personality, and on the flip side, many won’t watch him for the same reason.

Twitch is expanding beyond just video games, which is even apparent with the “Just Chatting” category constantly being one of the most watched on the site. As the platform grows, people understandably want more ways to find the type of content they are looking for.

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Representation is incredibly important, and viewers want to be able to find streamers that might share identities with them. Trans characters have been depicted in games more and more in recent years, but trans streamers can sometimes still be pushed to the wayside. Another common tag asked for by the Twitch community is a “disabled” tag, which comes from the same desire for representation and discoverability that the trans tag comes from, and “trans,” “disabled,” “POC,” are often requested additions as Twitch continues to grow beyond gaming only. It’s time to listen to the communities that Twitch fosters.

How Has Twitch Responded to Requests for a Trans Tag?

Twitch Should Listen to Streamers and Add a Trans Tag

After Twitch removed the communities feature, many streamers had to rely on the tag system which wasn’t as nuanced and expansive as the system before it. After a time, streamers that wanted a trans tag decided to take action. On March 4, 2019, a Twitch user posted the “Trans Tag Request” to UserVoice, Twitch’s official feedback and suggestions forum. It has been just over two years since that request was put in, and it is still the most popular post on UserVoice, with a little over 6000 supporters.

It took a year and a half for Twitch to offer any kind of response, posting a reply to the UserVoice request on September 18, 2020. Unfortunately, the response was not the kind that many were hoping for. In essence, the response was a non-answer. Twitch said it saw the request, doesn’t agree with adding a trans tag, and wants to create a “better solution” instead. No information about what that might look like was given. Twitch posted only one other update on UserVoice about a month later. On October 19, 2020, Twitch said it was simply checking in, but there was nothing more to share. Many were disappointed with Twitch that it again refused to share any information about its plans, even though doing so could help assuage the many concerns of users who supported the request.

Perhaps the biggest development, and the biggest blow, to the request for a trans tag came during Twitch’s Town Hall on December 16, 2020. In response to a question about the tag, Twitch said it doesn’t want to add it to avoid transgender streamers receiving more negativity and hate on the platform. For many, this directly contradicts the fact that actual trans streamers and community members are asking for it. Obviously, no one wants more harassment on the platform, but Twitch needs to hold itself accountable and enforce its TOS. After all, this hate already occurs on the platform, and it seems to be avoiding responsivity in moderating that by avoiding this tag.

There is little doubt that streamers who self-tagged as “trans” would end up experiencing harassment from certain users on the site, but many point out that they already deal with issues anyway. Streamers will use the LGBTQ+ tag to provide visibility to the community, and to offer a place for viewers to find someone that is like them. Streamers that use this tag are still subject to trolls just for using it, but everyone has the choice whether or not to add the tag to their stream. The same thing would go for a trans tag. If a transgender streamer does not want to open themselves up for possible harassment, they can hopefully avoid some by not tagging their stream as “trans.”

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Again, much like the LGBTQ+ tag, most streamers believe the benefits outweigh the negatives, and if Twitch moderated properly, then there would be no reason to see this as a “space” for hate—by definition, it’s a space to say “we see you, we love you, and you are valid.”

Twitch Needs to Finally Add a Trans Tag

While Twitch has made several strides in order to be as inclusive as possible, it has often fallen short. Twitch has come under fire for insensitive decisions relating to things like its Black Lives Matter video, and its emotes for Hispanic Heritage Month. Unfortunately, a recent Automod bug prevented Twitch users from self-identifying as “queer” in their bios. Many streamers have lost trust in the organization after its repeated stumbles, and that’s not even mentioning controversies surrounding site decisions like ad placements.

Plus, Twitch’s response to criticism for it’s “Womxn’s History Month” posts reignited calls for a trans tag. The term “womxn” has a complicated origin and history, but the gist is that it is an unnecessary term that has negative connotations regarding trans women, which clearly was the opposite of Twitch’s intentions. However, when Twitch goes on to say that it has and will continue to “work with LGBTQIA+ community,” many felt the response fell flat. It doesn’t seem to be the case when Twitch repeatedly ignores its community’s calls for a trans tag.

If the issue is that Twitch doesn’t want to add any more tags that identify the streamer and not the content, then hopefully Twitch can re-evaluate its tag system. When a general craft like fiber arts can be split into several distinct tags like “crocheting,” “knitting,” “cross-stitch,” “sewing,” and “quilting,” but a few marginalized identities can’t have their own tags, people will have concerns. While there will always be opponents to the idea of a trans tag, Twitch’s focus should be on supporting marginalized members of its community, not even considering how the request is the highest voted on its feedback forum. Twitch may want to create its own solution for the problem, but the true answer is easy, simple, and straightforward.

International Transgender Day of Visibility is on March 31, so people will just have to wait and see whether Twitch announces anything or gives an update on that date. While waiting for a “special day” to reveal its plans comes off as Twitch just wanting brownie points, it will be better than no news at all. For the time being, supporters of a trans tag and greater representation in gaming will just need to make sure their voices are heard by Twitch.

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