Scots LGBT charity quits Twitter blaming rising hostility on the platform
A Scottish youth charity helping young people in the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) community has stopped offering its support services on Twitter.LGBT Youth Scotland said it could not endure further "targeted attacks" against its organisation following the takeover of the site in 2022.
It has deleted its account, which had over 33,000 followers, altogether.Dr Mhairi Crawford, chief executive of the charity, said that the decision to leave Twitter was a "calculated risk" because it had more followers on the site than on any other social media platform.
However, she added that the site "does not make it possible" to support young people safely.She said: "After careful consideration of our mission to support LGBTQ+ young people, we felt our only option was to leave Twitter.
Since Twitter’s takeover in 2022 we have become increasingly concerned by a number of statements and decisions that have had a real impact on the LGBTQ+ community."Our following on Twitter was the largest across all of our platforms but we have noticed a troubling increase in extreme views and targeted attacks towards members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as our own charity directly."We want to create safe spaces for young people to feel hopeful about the world around them and their own futures and, ultimately, Twitter does not make this possible.
