Equality Network has explained the decision to its supporters
A Scottish LGBTQI+ charity has confirmed it will no longer be posting on the social media platform X, becoming the latest in a spate of withdrawals from the platform.
The Equality Network confirmed on Tuesday, January 21, that it would no longer be posting on the site - previously known as Twitter.
The charity, including its Scottish Trans project, said the move would be no surprise to many of its followers and supporters, and urged those groups to keep up with their work elsewhere on social media.
The move comes after other charities - such as One Parents Families Scotland and Children First - also made the same decision.
X/Twitter owner Elon Musk caused significant outrage on Monday following his decision to perform a Nazi salute following the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
In a statement, Equality Network said: “Twitter has, over the past few years and more, increasingly become a difficult space to engage in as a member of a marginalised community and/or to be an advocate and supporter of equality and human rights. It has become a difficult space to engage with for those of us who value diverse humanity, truth and progress.
“Following Elon Musk’s acquisition of X, the platform has rapidly become even more hostile. It is an incredibly harmful space for all, insufferable for many.
Despite supporting individuals in their decision to leave X, as an organisation we remained on this platform until now for several reasons: Because it is our duty to share accurate information with our community, with decision makers and with the media; Because we use it to engage with our community and to bring people together; Because it is vital that LGBTI+ lives, our experiences, our humanity, and our equality and human rights remain visible; and Because LGBTI+ people should not be erased or forced out of physical or online spaces that they wish to engage with.
“It is our main objective to share with and collaborate with our community in order to improve lives for LGBTI+ people in Scotland, social media is an important tool for this, and X was one line of communication that was valuable to us.
“At this point we now know that what we share on X is unable to reach our community, it is no longer visible, it is no longer being engaged with, it no longer has any impact. After monitoring our engagement here for some time, this is patently clear. We cannot say for certain, though we can surmise, that due to the nature of our content this is deliberate.
“We can no longer justify engaging with a platform for our means, as these means are simply no longer possible. We will no longer engage on a platform that is actively harming narratives relating to our, and other marginalised, communities – in turn harming these communities both on and offline.”
The charity also raised concerns about changes at the Meta social media platform, which runs Facebook, Instagram and Threads.
Equality Network added: “We are deeply concerned by the growing rise of hate, prejudice and disinformation across social media platforms, including with regards to the recent policy changes at Meta.
“We will continue to be active on Meta platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Threads) at this time. It is vital that we remain visible, and we will not cede spaces where we can communicate and collaborate with our community and further our work. This year, we will be working on new and existing ways to share our work to ensure that we remain visible and as active as ever in keeping in touch with our community and partners. This will go beyond social media platforms.”
