Pokimane abruptly ended her January 12 stream after another broadcaster harassed her viewers. Now, popular influencers like Mizkif and Myth are sticking up for Pokimane and calling for change on Twitch.
Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys became a hot topic of conversation across social media after the Twitch streamer was banned for watching Avatar: The Last Airbender during a January 8 broadcast.
Her ban came on the heels of heated debates regarding the ethics of skirting copyright claims by watching television shows on Twitch.
Pokimane received ample backlash for tempting the ban hammer, further fueling the fires of speculation that Twitch could be in for big changes in regards to copyright policy… but nothing prepared audiences for what came a week later.
On January 12, Pokimane was forced to shut down her stream early after fellow broadcaster ‘Jidion’ instructed his fans to harass Anys’s Twitch viewers. Clearly emotional, Pokimane cut her stream short.
A day later, oodles of her fellow streamers are speaking out against the hate raid, dubbing the harassment against Pokimane “sexist” and calling for change regarding the treatment of female streamers on Twitch.
Disguised Toast calls out “sexist” Twitch trolls
Popular streamer Disguised Toast notably compared the hate he received for being banned for watching Death Note versus the vitriol Pokimane endured after her Avatar suspension.
“You can s**t on me for watching anime, but some people are using this as a reason to be sexist and hateful to her,” he tweeted.
I get striked for DMCA
“what an idiot”
Poki gets striked for DMCA
“STUPID LEECH BITCH LAZY NO CONTENT TRASH MORON CAN’T MAKE ANT CONTENT WEARS MAKEUP FAT UGLY-“
you can shit on me for watching anime, but some people are using this as a reason to be sexist and hateful to her
— DSG Toast (@DisguisedToast) January 13, 2022
Kaceytron shows support for Pokimane
Kaceytron, another well-known streamer, replied to Toast’s post, thanking him for showing support and asking for more men on Twitch to call out sexist behavior.
“It always feels like women get held 100x more accountable for anything they do ‘wrong’ and it gets held over us for years,” she responded. “Need more men shedding light on these inequities on Twitch.”
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Thank you for saying something about this Toast.
It always feels like women get held 100x more accountable for anything they do “wrong” and it gets held over us for years…
Need more men shedding light on these inequities on Twitch.
— kaceytron (@kaceytron) January 13, 2022
Myth speaks out against misogyny on Twitch
Myth also spoke up in support for Pokimane, calling the treatment she’s received “blatant misogyny.”
“Child brains on the internet think I wanna f**k Pokimane because I spoke out against blatant misogyny today,” he tweeted. “How’s your day going?”
Child brains on the internet think I wanna fuck pokimane because I spoke out against blatant misogyny today. How's your day going?! 🙂
— Myth (@Myth_) January 13, 2022
Mizkif blasts “simp” culture on Twitch
Mizkif has also notably backed Pokimane during the ordeal. The streamer blasted “simp” culture on Twitch, noting that some fans might be scared to support Pokimane for fear of being labeled as such.
Sad how Pokimane still has to deal with misogyny and harassment in 2022.
And It's even more sad how I have to say this publicly because people are afraid to stand up and say she's being treated poorly because they'll be called a "simp"
— Mizkif (@REALMizkif) January 13, 2022
JackSepticEye appears to support Pokimane
Even YouTuber JackSepticEye stepped in to seemingly comment on the matter, writing: “In this household, we respect strong, successful women. The amount of harassment they have to go through online for simply existing is crazy.
In this household we respect strong, successful women. The amount of harassment they have to go through online for just simply existing is crazy.
— Jacksepticeye (@Jacksepticeye) January 13, 2022
Pokimane reacts to support from streamers amid Twitch harassment
Although Pokimane has protected her official Twitter account, she did make a post reacting to the support from her friends and fellow streamers on her secondary Twitter profile.
> hundreds of incels in my mentionsme: 😐
> cute msgs & tweets from friendsme: 😭😭😭😭😭😭
— imane 💜 (@imane) January 13, 2022
Although Anys is going through a slew of harassment, it’s clear that her friends are in her corner, with many more calling on users and social media platforms alike to make a change in environments that can be unwelcoming for women.