Twitch has permanently banned the streamer Steven “Destiny” Bonnell II (33), as he reports. Destiny began his career in 2011 on Twitch as a streamer for StarCraft 2. Later, he became known as a prominent figure who often clashed with radical views. Destiny believes he was banned for his statement that transgender women should not compete against cis women in sports.
Who is Destiny?
- Destiny began his career on Twitch in 2011. He left a job as a carpet cleaner to play StarCraft 2 on Twitch. Even back then, he was known for his rude and rough manner. He did not shy away from confrontation.
- From 2016 onwards, Destiny increasingly became a streamer on Twitch who dealt with political and social issues. In 2020, he lost his partnership with Twitch when he said he would welcome it if “rednecks shot down idiotic protesters because they think they can burn down buildings.” This was interpreted as a “call to violence.”
- Destiny has about 650,000 followers on Twitch and last streamed in front of about 2,850 viewers. Now he has faced a permanent ban, as he reports.
“Hateful Conduct”
What was Destiny banned for? Destiny says he received a message from Twitch stating that he was banned for “hateful conduct.” The ban is permanent. However, he does not know the exact reason (via youtube).
He sees his statement that transgender women should not compete against cis women in sports as a plausible reason for his permanent removal.
Previously, people had discussed on Reddit that Destiny might have been banned for broadcasting a conversation with an Alt-Right speaker who was banned on Twitch.
It is prohibited on Twitch to promote individuals who have been banned from Twitch. For a such a violation, GMHikaru was banned for 3 days. However, this behavior would likely not have led to a permanent ban.
Twitch Introduces Rule to Better Protect Minorities
What kind of rule is that? Twitch introduced a new guideline against “Hateful Conduct and Harassment” on December 9, 2020, to better protect the “community.” The rule was intended to protect members of the LGBTQIA+ and BiPoC community, who are disproportionately attacked. This is not accepted, Twitch said.
In terms of “hateful conduct,” it specifically states among the things that are prohibited (via twitch):
Calls to oppress, separate, or exclude people, including political, economic, and social marginalization/separation based on protected characteristics, including age. However, we allow the discussion of certain topics like immigration policy, voting rights for non-citizens, and participation in professional sports, as long as the content does not directly aim to disparage a protected characteristic.
Excerpt from Twitch rules
Streamer Continues on YouTube
What happens now? Destiny will likely just continue on YouTube – as other streamers who have been banned from Twitch.
The only way he could return to Twitch is if Twitch grants an appeal against the ban.
But it might be that Twitch has consciously decided to forgo the controversial views of the streamer in the future. He seems to be balancing precisely on those fine lines that the team has set about what can be discussed on Twitch and what should be kept silent. Maybe he did that one too many times and lost the balance.
Update March 28, 12:00 PM: New details about Destiny’s ban have come to light. It is now assumed that he was banned for a statement:
Streamer seemingly ruins 11 years of career in 14 seconds – Twitch bans him permanently
