- Speculation that temporary bans came in the wake of David Tennant comments
Anger flared yesterday after hundreds of accounts on social media giant X were temporarily suspended in a new twist to the trans debate.
The platform, formerly known as Twitter, was at the centre of a free-speech row after apparently silencing gender-critical campaigners who have argued against the advancement of the transgender agenda.
Some of those affected were locked out of their accounts for hours without any advance warning.
It is understood that none of them was given a reason for the suspensions – and there has been speculation the bans have come in the wake of a row between Doctor Who actor David Tennant and Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch.
The full extent of the suspensions remained unclear last night, but campaigners warned of a stifling of free speech.
Hundreds of X accounts belonging to gender critical campaigners were suspended temporarily without warning, with speculation that the bans came in the wake of a row between Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch and actor David Tennant
Shelley Charlesworth of Transgender Trend was among activists who reported their X account being suspended
Shelley Charlesworth of Transgender Trend – which advocates for evidence-based teaching in schools – said: ‘My X account was suspended today without any explanation and for no apparent reason.
‘I appealed twice and was told it was a permanent ban. Then my account was reinstated again with no explanation.
‘It’s deeply concerning that X can do this. I use my account mainly to highlight how children are being taught contested beliefs about gender, and to show the harms of using puberty blockers to treat gender distress.’
She added: ‘X has been helpful having these discussions and it’s really worrying that there are those who want to stop me from speaking out.’
Ann Sinnott, a women’s rights campaigner who publicly resigned from her position as a councillor on Cambridge City Council over its equality policy, also had her account temporarily suspended.
Ms Sinnott, who said the suspension was like ‘being imprisoned without being told why’, told the Mail: ‘I am not an extreme person at all and I can’t understand why my account has been suspended. I do not understand how an organisation can do that. If you are penalising someone, you have to tell them why – it is preposterous.’
The suspensions came after Ms Badenoch lashed out at Tennant, branding him a ‘bigot’ after he urged her to ‘shut up’.
Ms Badenoch accused the actor of being ‘a rich, Lefty, white male celebrity so blinded by ideology he can’t see the optics of attacking the only black woman in government by calling publicly for my existence to end’.
Tennant was branded a ‘bigot’ by Ms Badenoch after urging her to ‘shut up’ at the British LGBT Awards
Tennant made the jibe while accepting a gong last Friday for ‘celebrity ally’ at the British LGBT Awards, at which he was lauded as ‘one of the LGBTQ+ community’s most fierce allies and supporters’.
Last night, women’s rights groups led the chorus of condemnations of the suspensions, describing the move as a ‘silencing of dissenting voices’.
Naomi Cunningham, chairman of human rights charity Sex Matters, said: ‘The overnight suspension of hundreds, if not thousands, of gender-critical accounts on Twitter/X is concerning.
‘I had thought we were through the dark days of people being banned from social media for speaking the truth about sex and gender, but there has been a recent surge in the silencing of dissenting voices.’
X did not respond to the Mail’s request for comment.