Streaming giant Twitch made the bizarre decision to create a “Safety Advisory Council” this week, and amongst the newly appointed members is a transgender otherkin “deer-girl” named Steph Loehr, who goes by Ferociously Steph on Twitch.
Loehr has a history of making false statements and propagating inflammatory opinions about gaming, including the statement, “I think a lot of you gamers are white supremacists, just a fact, of how I feel.”
Twitch's latest hire thinks a lot of us gamers are white supremacists and ''that's a FACT!'' https://t.co/5gorNLPpQW pic.twitter.com/0OcT667ta6
— M101News (@M101News) May 16, 2020
Self-described “Adorably ferocious trans deer-girl (she/her)” Loehr has a relatively small follower count on Twitch, raising questions about the platform’s reasoning for Loehr’s appointment to the “Safety Advisory Council.”
READ MORE: Kotaku Tries To Deplatform Dr. Disrespect For Agreeing With Elon Musk On Covid Lockdown
Loehr claims to “prance around in my backyard” and “eat grass” because “it makes me feel in tune with my deer self.”
Posted by Daniel Joseph Jackson on Saturday, May 16, 2020
Loehr later gloated about the newfound power granted by Twitch on a livestream: “I’m not going anywhere, I have power, they’re not going to take it away from me, there, there, these, there are some people who should be afraid of me, and they are, because I represent moderation and diversity and I’m, um, I’m gonna come for harmful people.”
https://twitter.com/KEEMSTAR/status/1262202724805939201
Multiplayer voice chat is another form of “misogynist” bigotry that should be erased according to Loehr.
Posted by Daniel Joseph Jackson on Saturday, May 16, 2020
👋It's that time again!
We need to talk about why adding voice chat to your game is anti-inclusivity. How it hurts your marginalized and female player-base, especially within competitive play. I'm going to break it down as concisely and clearly as I can! Lets go! (cont.)— FerociouslySteph (@FerociouslyS) January 29, 2018
Oooo yeah whole lot of people with cis-white-male voices thinking voice chat is critical to competitive games being competitive.
Tell me more about how we'll solve systemic misogyny and everything will be fine~ lol.
— FerociouslySteph (@FerociouslyS) May 14, 2020
This writer has the commensurate background in online competitive shooters to confirm that voice chat is indeed “critical” in those games, and not just to “cis-white-males.” This writer has achieved great success in competitive games using voice chat with non-“cis-white-male” teammates.
READ MORE: ADL Spews Anti-Gamer Hate, Says Steam And Valve Provide Platform For ‘White Supremacists’
Perhaps the most disturbing part of Twitch’s decision to appoint Loehr as a “safety advisor” is the fact that Loehr has ties to the Anti-Defamation League, an extreme-left organization that supports deplatforming and political censorship.
ahahahhaahaa offfffffff courrrrse pic.twitter.com/P3A5l3wrbL
— Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) May 18, 2020
Intrepid reporting from The Ralph Retort traced back Loehr’s association with the ADL several years, dating back to 2018:
Thanks to the work of Killstream guest Sophia Narwitz, we can go back a take a look at the tale of the tape. Here’s ADL flack Daniel Kelley celebrating FerociouslySteph’s ascension to the Twitch censorship council (archive), which makes sense, given what we know…
Congrats to @FerociouslyS @ybika @ellanso for being part of Twitch's new safety advisory council. Key perspectives to include from the Twitch community, academia and civil society: https://t.co/73cW0OAPbt
— Daniel Kelley (@danieljkelley) May 14, 2020
But the promotion actually goes back almost two years. This isn’t something that just happened out of the blue. The ADL has been working overtime to get its hooks into gaming. Too much money and influence on the table for them to ignore!
Had a great time moderating a panel on #games, #AR, empathy, respect and inclusion at @ADL_National’s #neverisnow today.
Had great conversations with @Twitch friends in attendance afterwards.
Thanks to @drgamermom @FerociouslyS and @GabrielaEdMedia for joining and being amazing pic.twitter.com/ziStm54tvv— Daniel Kelley (@danieljkelley) December 3, 2018
Super stoked to be moderating this panel at #neverisnow featuring @FerociouslyS, @drgamermom and more talking about "Trailblazing Respect and Empathy in Digital Spaces"
Breaking news: People can still use tech for good, if they have the inclination…https://t.co/oM115nPCVM https://t.co/RH6VH5UA0j— Daniel Kelley (@danieljkelley) November 15, 2018
Twitch users were none too pleased with the tech giant’s decision to place Loehr in a position of power, with some calling Loehr Twitch’s new “Deer Leader.”
— Bernie Sanders (@sanders_gaming) May 18, 2020
This story is still developing, and National File will continue to cover the issue as it relates to anti-gamer discrimination and ethics in the Big Tech sector.
