Twitch has implemented over 350 new tags for streamers, allowing them to categorize themselves by “gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ability, mental health, and more,” the company announced Thursday. Some of these tags, which were implemented on May 26, include transgender, Vtuber, genderqueer, and visible disability. These tags are an optional tool that allows a streamer to classify themselves into a particular community.
In the announcement, Twitch thanked the trans community for requesting the change:
We’d like to thank our trans community for originally requesting the “transgender” tag, and for their passion and persistence in pursuit of that request. This has been one of the most popular requests we’ve heard, and the simple truth is that we should have done this sooner.
It took us too long to embrace that there should have been hundreds of ways for creators to share who they are and issues they care about. The Twitch community is incredibly diverse and the tags available to creators should reflect and celebrate that.
We know implementing the request for tags took far longer than it should have, and we sincerely thank you for your persistence, feedback, and patience. Now and always, it helps us make a better Twitch for everyone.
Twitch also said that it partnered with GLAAD, the Trevor Project, AbleGamers, SpecialEffect, and “other experts focused on the progress of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and marginalized communities. And finally, we reached out to members of the Twitch community for their feedback.”
This is the second major announcement on content organization that Twitch has made recently. on May 21, the platform announced that it would be creating a new category for pool, hot tub, and beach streams. “Being found to be sexy by others is not against our rules,” Twitch clarified.
