Twitter has suspended parody website The Babylon Bee over a joke about US Assistant Health and Human Services Secretary Rachel Levine. Levine identifies as a transgender woman. Previously, Rachel was known as Richard and coincidentially played high school football with US General Mark Milley. Milley recently made news for his comments regarding “white rage”. Levine was married to a woman for many years and fathered two children with her. It is not quite clear when Levine transitioned but the marriage with his wife dissolved back in 2013. Levine has been the subject of controversy and praise due to the LGBTQ+ community’s push for a broader reach, so to speak. The latest controversial thing to happen is that Levine was named “Woman of the Year” by USA Today.
Many biological women have an issue with biological men who identify as women interfering with their spaces. The “Woman of the Year” award should be specifically for women, not just for anyone who identifies as a woman. It is the same thing as the NCAA swimming championships and the trans swimmer Lia Thomas. Countless numbers of biological women have an issue with a biological man competing against them in sport. It ruins the entire purpose of gendered athletics and it goes against the spirit of Title IX. The Babylon Bee, being all about linking comedy to the real world, decided to post a parody article about the situation. The article is titled “The Babylon Bee’s Man Of The Year Is Rachel Levine”. A very funny article to many but deeply offensive to a select few.
Twitter decided to suspend The Babylon Bee over this tweet. The explanation is that it violates their rule against “hateful conduct”. Users are not allowed, per guidelines, to promote violence against or harass other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, sexual origin, gender, gender identity, and more. It is very interesting that Twitter would evoke this rule considering the treatment of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The “controversial” judge is currenty hospitalized with an infection. Dozens of Twitter pages cheered this news on and even wished for his death. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of deletion or suspension over that. But over a simple joke toward Rachel Levine, The Babylon Bee has to deal with this.
Twitter says they will restore The Babylon Bee’s account if the tweet in question is deleted. BB CEO Seth Dillon refuses to delete the tweet, even if it means that their entire account on that platform is deleted. The principal to stand up for what’s right is more important than any traffic they may lose by not being on Twitter. To call this an admirable and brave stance would be quite the understatement. And it is something that people may remember The Babylon Bee for in the future. Comedy is on its way out and if something is not done, then it may be officially gone forever in the very near future.
SOURCES:
The Babylon Bee’s Man Of The Year Is Rachel Levine | The Babylon Bee
BREAKING: Babylon Bee suspended from Twitter for ‘hateful content’ over Rachel Levine joke | The Post Millennial
Dr. Rachel Levine is named 1 of 12 ‘Women of the Year’ by USA Today | 90.5 WESA
Biden nominates Dr. Rachel Levine to be deputy health secretary | The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle
Babylon Bee defiant after Twitter locks account over tweet naming Rachel Levine ‘Man of the Year’ | Fox News
Twitter suspends account of The Babylon Bee for satire article on transgender woman Rachel Levine
Twitter suspends The Babylon Bee after it named Rachel Levine ‘Man of the Year’ | WCHS
Babylon Bee refuses to delete tweet mocking Rachel Levine despite being blocked from Twitter | Daily Mail Online
‘A walking hate crime’: Texas AG Ken Paxton slammed after Twitter post misgendering Rachel Levine – pennlive.com
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