Social media app feature whistleblower and reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi have once again discovered a new detail that Twitter is working on: a section on users’ profiles dedicated to adding pronouns. Twitter has been working hard to make its platform the ideal place for all individuals. So it’s no surprise that it’s working on such a project.
Currently, Twitter users are adding their favorite pronouns in the bio section of their profiles, but this new feature will change that. According to screenshots shared by Paluzzi, the feature being developed will have an introductory screen that will emphasize the importance of giving users the freedom to indicate their pronouns, saying “like names, pronouns help express someone’s identity” and “use of Pronouns is a sign of respect”.
The new feature is also designed to reduce stigma and foster acceptance, which makes sense on the platform now that the app is used by countless members of the LGBTQ+ community. In addition, there are many LGBTQ accounts with large followings on Twitter, such as BuzzFeed LGBTQ with 221,200 followers and GAY TIMES with 406,900 followers.
The new section will also have a prompt that will show some examples of pronouns in different languages, while also saying “understanding people’s identities is important to us”. When editing a profile, this section will be placed under Date of Birth and above the Edit Professional Profile option.
While the news may seem tempting, it was overshadowed by Elon Musk’s acquisition of the platform, which has sparked fear among some members of the LGBTQ+ community. The main concern of the aforementioned people stems from Musk’s plans to change, if not repeal, Twitter’s content moderation policy. Some believe that when this happens, it will be the beginning of online harassment of LGBTQ people and other marginalized groups.
Musk tweeted in 2020 that he disapproved of the use of pronouns on the platform, as it seemed to him to reinforce fears of the possibility. “I absolutely support trans, but all these pronouns are an aesthetic nightmare,” the tweet read.
Despite the pushback, Musk made no attempt to explicitly defend his tweet with another statement. Instead, the billionaire took to Twitter to quote Tesla’s “100/100 on LGBTQ equality for the fourth year in a row.”