LGBTQ users pay the price for X under Elon

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     October 31, 2023 Can you believe Elon Musk has owned X—the platform we once called Twitter—for a year now? The [anniversary]( was this past weekend—and over the past year, he has sought to remake the platform in his own image, as tech writer Taylor Lorenz [told my colleague]( Julia Métraux last month. Often, Musk's changes have hit the platform's LGBTQ users hardest (NBC News, where I worked pre-MoJo, just [published a great piece]( on this). A self-proclaimed "free speech absolutist," Musk has [mocked pronouns](; [elevated]( an unfounded, anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theory about the attack on Paul Pelosi; and [removed]( a policy that prohibited the "targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals." In June, GLAAD [ranked]( the platform "the most dangerous platform for LGBTQ people," and advocacy groups have reported heightened attacks on LGBTQ users since Musk's takeover. But that doesn't seem to have rattled Musk, who continued his crusade yesterday—the same day the company [announced]( it's now worth about $19 billion, less than half of what he paid for it a year ago. "The word 'cis' is a heterosexual slur," he [wrote]( on X last night. "Shame on anyone who uses it." Like many things Musk posts, this was random, and—as users [pointed]( out—false: "Cisgender" refers to gender identity, [specifically]( someone whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth, not sexual orientation, as "heterosexual" does. In any case, given that LGBTQ people and women have [borne]( the brunt of online hate speech even before Musk's takeover, it wouldn't surprise me if more of them migrate elsewhere as time goes on. (The platform's CEO has already [confirmed]( in public comments that X is [losing daily active users](.) And as my colleague Ali Breland has [reported](, Musk has also tweeted about the "white genocide" conspiracy theory in his homeland of South Africa, [among other]( racist dog whistles—probably among the reasons many Black users are also migrating elsewhere, as the Washington Post [reported]( in August. We've reached out to X for comment—but we're not holding our breaths. (A small sign of professional progress: Their new auto-response to press inquiries has shifted from a poop emoji to "busy now, please check back later.") When it comes to X under Elon: Are you staying or going? If you're going, where are you headed? Or maybe you've already fled and want to brag about your newfound peace and calm? [Let us know](. Make sure to follow Mother Jones elsewhere, too: We're on [Threads](, [Bluesky](, [Instagram](, [Facebook](, [TikTok](, [YouTube]( and [LinkedIn](! —Julianne McShane Advertisement [Tip of the Spear]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [The UAW Strike Brought Back Militancy and Won What Seemed “Impossible”]( "Working class people are saving the American dream. The UAW is saving the American dream," said UAW President Shawn Fain. "And we are doing it together.” BY NOAH LANARD FROM THE MOTHER JONES STORE   Mother Jones Store Mother Jones Mugs are back! With a new design, just in time for warm beverage season. That said, we are down to 90 mugs, and they are going fast. Get on over to the official [Mother Jones Store]( and grab one for yourself and a friend today! [Trending] [Mike Johnson urged a religious test for politicians]( BY DAVID CORN   [The House GOP's proposal: Israel aid by defunding the IRS]( BY JULIANNE MCSHANE   [The deepening tragedy of the Maine massacre]( BY MARK FOLLMAN   [After admitting to wrongfully removing thousands of voters, can Virginia recover ahead of pivotal elections?]( BY ARIANNA COGHILL Advertisement [Tip of the Spear]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Toxic chemicals are "stealing children’s future potential"]( Low-income kids of color are most at risk, a new review finds. BY VICTORIA ST. MARTIN [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755