June marks the beginning of Pride Month, where LGBTQIA+ communities celebrate their freedom and seek to raise visibility for the collective to eliminate prejudice. Companies and organizations around the world join this movement, although sometimes the support is insufficient. Twitch contributed its part, but streamers are disappointed.
Twitch created a team of LGBTQIA+ streamers from the UK and Ireland. During Pride Month, the group was featured in a special section on the platform's homepage, although it appeared at the bottom and there was poor promotion on social media.
During a conversation with Eurogamer, members of that team talked about the support they received from the platform during June. Although they appreciated the initiative and believe it is a step in the right direction, it seems that there is still a long way to go.
Streamers and LGBTQIA+ users call for more support throughout the year
"To be honest, it was very disappointing and lackluster compared to some previous years. It was there this year, but it was below other sections," said streamer ReadySetBen. "Yes, having a spot on the front page is nice, but what does [Twitch] do to actually create a safe space?" pointed out content creator Ebonix.
Community members state that, like many other companies, Twitch should support LGBTQIA+ individuals throughout the year and not just during Pride Month. They also indicate that the platform should give more visibility to content creators.
"These symbolic and special months are the only time that companies decide they want to push a certain demographic group forward: this effort really needs to be incorporated throughout the year. If you are constantly visible on the platform, I don't think there would be as much hate," added Ebonix.
"If they want to support Pride Month, they should do it upfront and center. I feel like Twitch wants to support, but I think they feel that if they put it upfront, they will get more violent reactions. I think they should change their perspective and modify the homepage and say 'this is what we support. If you don't like it, this is not a platform for you,'" stated streamer Warwick.
"I would really like to see more, and that goes for all areas of all companies. I want to see more because, realistically, queer people face a bigger obstacle when trying to grow their communities because they have to deal with harassment and have to deal with people who are not interested in being part of their community, so growth is slower," emphasized Psyche.
Despite this year's celebration of Pride Month falling short, the streamers who participated and formed the team stated that Twitch is "doing more than ever" for the community and acknowledged that the platform's reach can make support challenging. Likewise, they acknowledged that this initiative allowed them to meet new people and make friends.
Twitch reaffirms its support for the LGBTQIA+ community
Mary Kish, Director of Marketing and Community Production at Twitch, is aware of the community's concerns and promises that they will take action.
"We had a big challenge to solve, which was how do we do this on a slightly larger scale and allow more people to feel the value of Pride and see it reflected in the community (...) When you talk about supporting marginalized communities, that means encouraging them in spaces where they are not normally present. And that means taking risks," said Mary Kish.
But tell us, do you think the platform should do more to support minority groups? What initiatives do you propose? Let us know in the comments.
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