Petition urges public authorities to discontinue use of X

One local councilor launched a petition asking public authorities to remove him from “The antithesis of DEI strategies.”

Tania Stephenson is the UK’s only independent transgender MP and has been elected to Oakbrook and Boroughwash Parish Council in Derbyshire. petition The growing hatred and misinformation about In response, they issued a statement on January 4th.

X, formerly known as Twitter, was acquired by tech billionaire Elon Musk in April 2022 for around $44bn (£34.75bn). Since then, the platform has become increasingly rife with misinformation, conspiracy theories, and hate speech. anti-semitic and Anti-LGBTQ+ content.

The rise in hateful content has caused several major brands to remove advertising from their platforms, non-profit organization GLAAD has determined that X is the most dangerous platform for gay people, and millions of users have turned away from X. I ended up using other platforms such as Bluesky.

petition and Memorandum linked thereinis calling on all public bodies, including government departments, local councils, the police and the NHS, to cease their official presence in X because of X’s policies and actions. Stevenson said those who delete their accounts will be affirming their “commitment to defending equality, promoting diversity and ensuring inclusivity in all aspects of our work.”

Speaking exclusively to PinkNews about the petition, Stevenson said she and others facing abuse on X because of their protected characteristics use the platform to find information about essential public services. He said there was no need.

“If you have members of marginalized community groups, whether it’s BME groups, LGBTQ+ groups, women and girls, if they feel threatened on that platform, they won’t want to engage and they won’t have an account. , you will be excluded from participation,” Stevenson explained.

“So, if [public authorities are] Publishing on that platform won’t reach everyone they want. Because I don’t want to be a part of it.

“You don’t have to go there. I don’t. [want] Go to the lion’s den to find out when the trash can will be emptied this week. ”

Mr Stevenson said many public sector organizations may be reluctant to move away from X, as they have been using the platform for many years and have made a significant “investment of time, effort and energy”. At some point, he said, it “becomes so toxic that it becomes damaging to governments and organizations.” It’s the reputation of the council, the reputation of the health authority, the reputation of the fire department. ”

She referred to Derbyshire Police and said X had 125,000 followers. announced On Monday (January 6), it announced that it would be reducing its use of the platform. a spokesperson said. BBC This decision was made “based on the quality and quantity of interaction with the post.”

Stevenson hopes other public agencies may look at this and think: Hopefully it can be a little bit of reflection. ”

“The speed and pace of political change at this level is slower than you think, and that’s what’s frustrating. I think a lot of the damage is going to be repeated, and by the time they get rid of it it’s too late and it’s a cesspool. And that’s the point I’m working on with them,” she said.

“Don’t laze about this, don’t go down with that ship, do the right thing and be seen as doing so.

“I work a lot with local governments and help them write EDI policies, and it’s very frustrating.I think I’m going to write HR policies for transgender people for free. You help someone, give a good talk on EDI, and then completely cancel that job because of your Twitter activity?”

Mr Stevenson drew attention to the recent scandal in which Mr Musk accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of being “complicit” in the crimes of grooming gangs, and asked: “How far does this go?”

“How bad would it be, and in a different kind of weird sense, I don’t want to see. How far down would the sewer pipes have to go? [public authorities] Are you aware that they are drowning? ” she asked.

“It’s both interesting and appalling to me.”