X reinstates policy against naming dead and misgendering

X updated its abuse and harassment page in January and added a new section explaining its new rule against intentionally using the wrong pronouns for a person or using a name they no longer bear. As noted by Ars Technicathe new section, titled “Use of former names and pronouns,” states that the service will “reduce the visibility of posts” that use pronouns for a person other than what they use for themselves, and those that now use a different name as part of their transition.

The social networking service formerly known as Twitter lifted its longstanding policy against naming and misrepresenting transgender people just as quietly in April 2023. GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said at the time that X’s decision was “the most – the new example of how dangerous the company is to both consumers and advertisers.” It is worth noting that Elon Musk, the owner of the website, there is a story of liking and sharing anti-trans posts and talking points.

Under the new policy, X will only act upon publication if it hears from the target itself “given the complexity of determining whether such a violation has occurred.” This puts the onus on the target, who may end up being accused of not reporting if they choose to distance themselves from the abuse. Jenny Olson, GLAAD’s senior director of social media safety, said Ars that the organization does not recommend self-reporting for social media platforms. Still, policies that clearly prohibit the dead-naming and misgendering of trans people are still better than vague ones that don’t clarify whether or not they violate the platform’s rules, Olson said.

X reduces the visibility of posts by removing them from search results, home timelines, trends, and notifications. These posts will also be demoted in the reply section and can only be found through the authors’ profiles. Finally, they won’t appear on X’s website or app with ads next to them, which could prevent a repeat of the ad revenue losses the company suffered last year. In late 2023, advertisers pulled their campaigns from the website just before the holidays after Media Matters published a report showing ads on the website right next to anti-Semitic content.