Popular YouTuber JiDion has accused Twitch of sexist behavior, enforcing different rules between men and women content creators and implying that men often receive harsher bans. The YouTuber has called on his audience to use the hashtag “Twitchrespond” in hopes to get his message trending and force a response from the video livestreaming platform.
Formerly of Twitch, JiDion was indefinitely banned from the platform in January for launching hate raids against fellow streamer Pokimane. Though both JiDion and Pokimane have supposedly made amends, the Amazon-backed platform has been unresponsive to JiDion’s multiple appeal attempts. Now, the YouTuber has accused his former platform of sexism targeted against men.
In his nine-minute video, JiDion references multiple instances of supposedly relaxed punishments against women streamers who have clearly violated Twitch’s terms of service. JiDion primarily focuses on Kimmikka, a Twitch streamer who only received a seven-day ban despite having sex on-stream. The YouTuber goes on to compare this to Dr Disrespect, Kai Cenat, YourRage, and his own case, wherein streamers all received month-long or indefinite bans off Twitch.
“Twitch, there can’t be a terms of service for girls, and then a terms of service for boys,” JiDion said, claiming he intends on holding Twitch accountable for these supposed discrepancies. “I’m doing this to make a stand. I’m doing this because I know this is right. Twitch, you’re going to address this right here, you’re not going to weasel your way out of this.”
JiDion levied a variety of other criticisms against the steaming platform, such as its handling of the Buffalo shooting, which was briefly streamed on Twitch, and the reduced suspension of Narcissa Wright, a streamer who threatened to attack Twitch’s offices.
The YouTuber also accused Twitch of dodging its obligation to address past controversies by using Twitter connections to remove its website from the trending page. Ultimately, JiDion called on his viewers to mobilize by using the hashtag “Twitchrespond” on Twitter to force a response from Twitch.
