Ella Irwin, Twitter’s second head of trust and safety under the leadership of Elon Musk, has stepped down amidst a heated debate surrounding the platform’s handling of an anti-transgender film. Irwin assumed the position after her predecessor, Yoel Roth, left in November, just a month after Musk assumed the role of Twitter CEO. While Irwin confirmed her departure, she refrained from providing a specific reason for her decision.
During her brief tenure, Irwin led a dedicated team at Twitter responsible for combating hate speech, removing offensive and abusive content, countering disinformation, and upholding the platform’s integrity. However, Twitter has faced mounting criticism for its failure to promptly address anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, hate speech, and abusive content targeting the transgender community, both during Irwin’s time as head of trust and safety and since Musk assumed control of the company.
The timing of Irwin’s departure coincided with Musk’s recent controversy involving the dissemination of an anti-trans film titled “What Is a Woman?” on Twitter. The film, featuring conservative and right-wing voices challenging trans identities, was made available for streaming through the Twitter account of right-wing outlet The Daily Wire. Shortly after its release, Twitter applied a “hateful” tag to the film, limiting its discoverability on the platform.
Jeremy Boreing, CEO of The Daily Wire, took to Twitter, alleging that the anti-trans film was being suppressed and framing the incident as a free speech issue. Musk responded to Boreing’s thread, acknowledging the tag as a “mistake by many people at Twitter” and asserting that misgendering is “definitely allowed” on the platform. Musk’s remarks triggered swift backlash from LGBTQ+ groups, who argued that his decision would exacerbate the bullying of transgender individuals on Twitter.
The fallout from this controversy resulted in the departure of two high-level executives within a single day—Ella Irwin and AJ Brown, Twitter’s head of brand safety and ad quality. As discussions around the incident unfolded, Musk cryptically responded to a Twitter user’s query about the departures, stating “Director related.” This remark raised further speculation about the internal dynamics at Twitter and the impact of Musk’s leadership.
Since assuming the role of Twitter CEO, Musk, who has been disowned by his transgender daughter, has utilized the platform as an echo chamber for sharing anti-LGBTQ+ views under the guise of free speech. His actions have included sharing a derogatory meme mocking queer individuals, Black Lives Matter, and COVID-19 vaccines. Additionally, Musk has amplified tweets from anti-trans accounts, spread an LGBTQ+ conspiracy theory, argued against the use of preferred pronouns, and propagated the notion of a “woke mind virus” that needs to be overcome.
In May, Musk appointed seasoned media executive Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter, fulfilling his earlier promise to step down from the position. However, concerns persist within the LGBTQ+ community regarding Twitter’s commitment to combating anti-LGBTQ+ hate, anti-trans rhetoric, misgendering, and deadnaming. The resignation of key personnel and the ongoing controversy highlight the challenges faced by Twitter in navigating issues of inclusivity and safeguarding the LGBTQ+ community on its platform.