X backs off on misgendering policy after right-wing complaints

X again quietly changed its rules about dead name and incorrect gender name without explanation. S it looks like there will still be no penalties for misgendering or naming people X, except where it may be “required by local laws”.

The update that was from Mashable, comes after X appears to be restoring some aspects of Twitter’s previous policy that fell under its hateful conduct rules. Before Elon Musk’s takeover, Twitter had banned targeted dead name and misgendering. This section of the company’s rules was last April. Then, last week, ArsTechnica noted that the policy is to indicate that X will “reduce the visibility of posts that purposefully use different pronouns to refer to someone other than what that person uses for themselves, or that use a previous name that someone no longer used as part of their transition.”

While this wasn’t a complete reversal of the previous policy — under the company’s previous leadership, intentional misgendering was grounds for suspension — it looked like there would once again be penalties for this type of harassment. This section of Twitter’s rules is now prefaced with “when required by local laws.”

As with much of what happens at X, there’s considerable confusion about politics, as the company’s rules seem to change based on Musk’s whims rather than due process. That was on display in the past few days, when Musk fielded several complaints from right-wing figures about last week’s change. On Thursday, Musk said one that the update “refers only to repeated, targeted harassment of a specific individual.” But on Saturday, Musk offered a new explanation. “It turns out that this is due to a court decision in Brazil that is being appealed but should not be enforced outside of Brazil,” he .

X did not respond to a request for comment on the policy or why it was changed twice in a matter of days. But Musk is known for sympathizing with people who regularly engage in anti-trans bullying. One of his first moves after taking over the company was to ban several accounts for violating the company’s previous policy on hateful behavior. He also repeatedly people specifying their pronouns in public as well X staff for trying to apply the company’s “free speech, scarcity” policy to a transphobic documentary.