Twitch Receives Backlash for Allowing Problematic Charity Options
Twitch continues to receive criticism for including multiple controversial charities in its list of groups eligible for fundraising.
The streaming platform rolled out a new feature which allows content creators to use the platforms to fundraise for charities. The streaming platform recently expanded its list of eligible charities from 250 to over 95,000.
Among the charities added were the British charity LGB Alliance, Autism Speaks, Salvation Army, and United Daughters of the Confederacy. Each of these charities have been criticized for engaging in some form of racist, ableist, and/or homophobic rhetoric or actions.
Following the release of the updated list, Twitch received substantial backlash. The streaming platform removed both the LGB Alliance and United Daughters of the Confederacy, stating that both organizations had engaged in activity that violates their off-service policy. Several creators took to twitter to express their anger and demand change.
“We are not asking. We are DEMANDING that you remove LGB Alliance and Autism Speaks,” says one Twitter user.
We are not asking. We are DEMANDING that you remove LGB Alliance and Autism Speaks
— Lord Maru🏳️⚧️🐰 (@LordMarukio) December 11, 2022
LGB Alliance was labelled a “far-right hate group” by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. The groups mission is to “promote the rights of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals as recognized by biological sex.” The U.K.-based charitable status has been challenged following allegations at its aims to lobby against trans rights.
Twitch responded to backlash Monday, December 12 by removing LGB Alliance and responding to a UserVoice post. In their response, the streaming platform stated:
“Following a through review, we have removed the LGB Alliance from our list of approved charities. Twitch does not allow charities that violate our hateful conduct policies on Twitch, or whose organization or leadership engage in or promote behaviors that violate our off-service policy.”
Twitch has not released a statement regarding the Salvation Army. The faith-based organization has previously come under fire for discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community. The organization actively denies these claims; however, critics are quick to point to a long paper trail of evidence.
The following Wednesday, December 14, Twitch confirmed that The United Daughters of the Confederacy and a multiple other related organizations including Children of the Confederacy, Sons of the Confederacy, and various regional chapters had been expunged from the list of available charities.
These groups have been known to oppose the removal of confederate monuments and come under scrutiny following allegations of affiliation with white supremacy groups. There alleged involvements directly violates Twitches Community Guidelines regarding hateful conduct.
Autism Speaks has been criticized for using ableist rhetoric and partnering with a therapy center that has come under scrutiny following reports of abuse.
That’s cool and all but how about removing charities that have a history of being ineffective or abusive? Autism Speaks has been in the media for some terrible practices. Their removal from your platform was the #1 most upvoted topic in the charity section on your uservoice.
— skpacman (@skpacman) December 7, 2022
Twitch responded to a UserVoice requesting its removal with the following statement:
“Our goal is to provide streamers with a wide variety of charitable organizations and enable them to decide who to support. The scale of this program may mean that people within our community may not agree with or support all of the included organizations, even if they are currently compliant with our policies.”
While the platform did not remove Autism Speaks, they did add alternative organizations in response to community feedback. Charities such as Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network are now eligible alternatives.
While many of these issues continue to be addressed, critics have been quick to notice this as one more instance of queerphobia and transphobia on the platform. Many point to a larger issue of discrimination within the gaming community.
