LGB Alliance removed as approved charity on Twitch after complaint

15 Dec 2022 News

Livestreaming platform Twitch has removed LGB Alliance from its list of approved charities following an internal review.

Last week, a Twitch user called on the platform to remove “hate groups” including LGB Alliance, whose stated aims are to “advance the interests of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals”.

Posting on a forum, the user wrote that by including LGB Alliance in its list of approved charities, Twitch was “advocating for the genocide of transgender people”.

The post, which received over 16,000 upvotes, prompted Twitch to remove LGB Alliance.

A Twitch spokesperson said: “Following a thorough review of this organisation, we have removed them from our list of approved charities.

“Twitch doesn’t allow charities that violate our hateful conduct policies on Twitch, or whose organisation or leadership engage in or promote behaviours that violate our off-service policy. 

“We’ve shared our decision to remove this organisation with the PayPal Giving Fund (PPGF).”

Twitch uses PPGF to allow streamers to donate to charities they align with and wish to support. The platform said it regularly reviews the list and removes any organisations that violate its policies.

The spokesperson added that LGB Alliance’s previous addition to the list was not “an endorsement from Twitch”.

An LGB Alliance spokesperson responded: “We assume that this is an error on the part of Twitch as they have not been in contact with us. We have written to the chief executive asking for our account to be re-instated and await his response.”

The Charity Commission registered LGB Alliance as a charity in April 2021 despite noting that it had used “inflammatory language” on social media

The registration was recently challenged in court by transgender rights charity Mermaids. 

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