Spotify has removed offensive imagery associated with a controversial song by Christian rapper Tyson James and his 11-year-old son Toby James, following a complaint by GLAAD.
However, the song “Still 2 Genders,” criticized for its transphobic lyrics, continues to be available on the platform. Meanwhile, no changes have been made to Apple Music’s platform.
Earlier this month, The Advocatereported that the song was accessible on major music streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, despite its derogatory lyrics towards transgender individuals, including a slur to describe them. The situation caught the attention of GLAAD, which then took up the issue with Spotify’s trust and safety team.
In an updated statement provided to The Advocate, a spokesperson from GLAAD emphasized the importance of enforcing hate speech policies by companies.
“Companies have hate speech policies to protect all users from toxic content and especially from content that incites violence against marginalized people. When these policies are violated, it is important to see companies enforce them,” the statement read.
GLAAD’s statement highlighted the grave real-world implications of hateful rhetoric and imagery connecting it to a tragic incident.
“The terrible murder of Lauri Carlton, an ally who had hung a Pride flag outside her store, is connected to a suspect who had an image of a burning Pride flag pinned to his Twitter profile,” the statement added.
The spokesperson further noted, “Rhetoric, images, and targeting of LGBTQ people encourages real-world harms. Companies and brands must continue to recognize their responsibility to people’s safety and public safety and immediately act to avoid facilitating anti-LGBTQ hate and violence.”
Spotify responded by removing the album cover and video imagery that included a burning Progress Pride flag GLAAD noted to The Advocate. Despite these steps, the song itself, carrying an anti-trans slur and dehumanizing transgender people as “demons,” remains live on Spotify’s platform.
Both Spotify and Apple Music have policies in place to moderate content on their platforms. Apple Music for Artists’ terms of service stipulates that all lyrics provided to the platform must be “correct, accurate, and do not contain hate speech.” On the other hand, Spotify’s Dangerous Content policy bars “content that incites violence or hatred towards a person or group of people based on race, religion, gender identity or expression.”
Despite these policies, Apple Music has yet to make any changes or respond to inquiries regarding the song’s availability on its platform.
In a prior response, GLAAD had stressed the digital sphere’s struggle with hate speech moderation, especially concerning anti-LGBTQ+ content, which extends beyond the realm of music streaming platforms. Their concern was not only about the derogatory lyrics but also the inconsistency in enforcing content policies by these platforms, which undermines the safety and inclusivity of all users.
As the scrutiny continues, both Spotify and Apple Music remain unresponsive to multiple inquiries from The Advocate regarding this issue. This scenario underscores a broader discussion concerning digital content moderation on streaming platforms, especially around anti-LGBTQ+ content.
link: https://www.advocate.com/news/spotify-transphobic-song-glaad
archive link: https://archive.ph/tz9FX
We can remove hate speech though, and conflating hate speech with “every single piece of art we find objectionable” is dodgy af.
Eminem has a lot of homophobic lyrics. Think you’re going to get him removed? Music has always pushed the boundaries of what’s acceptable. Sometimes that’s a good thing, other times it’s not. But I think an artists freedom of expression overrides your feelings.
If he’s still posting homophobic music, then yeah, that shit needs to be removed.
Said f*ggot in his recent track with Busta Rhymes, says he still hates them. I complain about this all the time. It’s a big problem in hip hop. Even up and coming rappers like Token use the slur in their lyrics and it annoys me to no end. A lot of these people are fairly intelligent. It’s just so deeply rooted in the culture as a way to insult masculinity.
https://www.radiox.co.uk/features/how-eminem-elton-john-friends-sponsor-story/
I don’t think he hates gay people. But his music is controversy, that’s its selling point. And I think your last sentence is spot on. For your typical “masculine” man, being called gay is an insult. It shouldn’t be, but unfortunately that’s the way it is.
Yes but MTV was never obligated to play Eminem’s videos and quite often censred them. Hell Walmart is responsible for at least two decades of CD censorship. Is Spotify obligated to host offensive songs/images? I don’t think there’s a great answer to that question, but it bugs the crap out of me trying to figure it out. The only thing that I’ve seen that sort of hoodwinks the issue is the fediverse, and I don’t think there’s a federated music platform.
Having an opinion (even a controversial one) isn’t hate speech. Does the song actually call for anything hateful?
Yes, it does.
That’s no call to action, all those lyrics are saying is that the author believes God will punish them, he’s not telling everyone else to do the same.
How are people so knowledgeable on a song that they dislike. Don’t listen move on…
It took me a minute to read through the lyrics so that I could be informed about exactly what’s in the controversial song.
It’s easy to have an informed opinion.
Or don’t read and then you don’t get outraged. Move on.
I hear China is lovely this time of year
Man, I can say “The sky is blue” and someone will say it’s hate speech.