Twitch streamer Maya Higa has spoken out on the controversy surrounding fellow streamer Brandon ‘Atrioc’ Ewing, who was revealed to have watched deepfake content featuring herself and other top Twitch stars, sparking severe backlash from those involved and the wider streaming community.
On January 30, 2023, Atrioc, joined by his wife, went live on Twitch with a tearful apology, after accidentally showing a tab open on his PC that showed he had been looking at deepfake content of some of the most popular women on the platform.
The original clip quickly went viral, with thousands of users sharing their thoughts on the situation, including other top Twitch streamers — and those involved.
Pokimane and QTCinderella were among those who responded to what had happened, with Poki simply demanding that people “stop sexualizing people without their consent.”
This is the frame leaked by the streamer, where a chrome tab containing an adult site featuring a deepfake video of Pokimane and Maya Higa can be seen pic.twitter.com/IeWwA8BmUP
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) January 30, 2023
Now, Maya has made a statement, calling back to when she was raped in 2018, and comparing it to the current situation.
“In 2018, I was inebriated at a party and I was used for a man’s sexual gratification without my consent,” she said. “Today, I have been used by hundreds of men for sexual gratification without my consent. The world calls my 2018 experience rape. The world is debating over the validity of my experience today. The debate over our experience as women in this is, not shockingly, amongst men. None of you should care or listen to what any male streamer’s ‘take’ is on how we feel.
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“I have created zero sexual content in my three years on Twitch. Despite this, my face was stolen so men could make me into a sexual object to use for themselves. If anyone doesn’t think it’s a big deal that MY NAME is in headlines where thousands of people are commenting on the sexualization of MY BODY against MY WILL, you are the problem. This situation makes me feel disgusting, vulnerable, nauseous, and violated, and all of these feelings are far too familiar to me.”
— Maya (@mayahiga) February 1, 2023
Finally, she told those arguing about the validity of her and other women’s concerns that “This is not your debate. Stop acting like it is.”
This sentiment echoes that of many women who have responded to the incident, including those named, stating that it is not a man’s place to try to defend Atrioc or the objectification of women without their consent.
Atrioc has since apologized again and revealed that he will be taking a break from streaming, followed by Ludwig — QTCinderella’s boyfriend — sharing the posts of the women affected on Mogul Mail, showing support for both QT and the others involved.