Interview: How HaiAlexx celebrated World Pride 2023 through Twitch

Australian-based streamer HaiAlexx has gone in-depth on how they celebrated World Pride 2023 through their live-streaming career on Twitch.

Streaming on sites such as Twitch can be one of the best methods in which to engage with a community. Whether that be sharing passions about your favorite game or exploring a range of interests outside of gaming, live streaming allows people from all over the internet to come together and celebrate a shared hobby.

The streaming platform of Twitch perfectly accommodates people’s various interests, providing several tags and categories so that viewers can find their new favorite personality that suits them best. Not only does Twitch help users find their community, but they also offer a welcoming space to all, regardless of what they identify as.

As one such example, Dexerto recently spoke to up-and-coming Australian streamer HaiAlexx to see how they celebrated World Pride 2023 through their live-streaming career on Twitch.

A story-focused Twitch streamer from Australia

Alexx, who uses the pronouns He/ They, is one such entertainer that streams on Twitch, primarily focusing on their passion for “story-driven games”.

“I like to focus on games that are a longer playthrough,” Alexx explained. The streamer went on to spotlight how they’ve recently been venturing through Kingdom Hearts series, a classic that evokes a good amount of nostalgia for them.

“I played that when I was a kid but I haven’t played it on stream and I think that was something I wanted to revisit. In the past I’ve played Final Fantasy 10, Detroit: Become Human but I also like to play other games like Powerwash Simulator, and Fortnite,” they added, listing off a broad range of games from all sorts of genres.

On top of the gaming focus though, Alexx is also more than happy to just stream and interact with the members of their chat.

“Sometimes I literally just like to do streaming where I’m just chatting to the community and that’s it. I won’t play any games, I’ll just sit there and chat and we’ll talk about any topic that comes to mind,” the streamer laughed.

Alexx seeks to provide a calm environment for their audience on the internet, intended to offer a safe space where anyone can come “chill and relax”.

How HaiAlexx got their start on Twitch

Originally starting back in 2021 amidst the global crisis at the time, Alexx began their streaming journey as a means in which to socialize.

“I basically got into Twitch to be social with people. Because I had no social interactions during lockdown. I had some, mainly through chat messages on Facebook, but it wasn’t the same. I was kind of feeling a bit isolated and also getting bored.”

Fast forward to the present where Alexx now streams part-time with over 1,700 loyal followers.

“Little did I know that Twitch would actually give me such a big social network that I have to this very day. I didn’t think I would’ve grown as big as I have… and now I’ve met people IRL,” Alexx added.

With their community established, Alexx made connections that have transcended even beyond the streaming site.

“Some of my close friends are all Twitch streamers. I’ve had the opportunity to meet up with them in Sydney or if I go down to Melbourne.

“But I’ve also made connections to people that are overseas as well. I don’t think that was something I could’ve done without Twitch.”

World Pride 2023 in Sydney

Alexx who works at a queer health organization in Sydney was able to fully celebrate the World Pride 2023 event held in the city. This was particularly accomplished through the connections they had made on Twitch.

“I got to spend some time with people that I don’t get to see often,” they shared.

“A lot of it was spending time with my friends and just embracing the community and celebrating the fact we’re here and we have these spaces.

“It was very much like an unofficial Twitch streamer Pride meet-up where it’s just our close friends and we watched the parade.”

World Pride 2023 through Twitch

Not only were they able to celebrate through the Pride parade in person, but Twitch offered Alexx an opportunity they simply couldn’t refuse.

“Twitch ANZ just recently had their Pride Month and it was my first time taking part in a big Pride Month event for Twitch.

“I did a panel actually because I was offered a front page slot for two hours. The panel was all about QTPOC streamers. So queer transgender people of color,” Alexx joyfully stated.

🌈THIS IS HAPPENING TONIGHT! Super excited about our front page slot, where I'll be live hosting the QTPOC panel I've been working on for the past couple of weeks.

Here's a thread of all the icons that you'll hear from tonight 🧵 #TwitchANZPride pic.twitter.com/8LRZhRCBfU

— HaiAlexx 🏳️‍⚧️🍉 (@HaiAlexx_) June 18, 2023

He went on to explain how he invited a few of his friends to the panel to join in the action.

“We basically spoke about our lives as being QTPOC content creators as well as kind of like the things we go through, the things that we would love to see change or topics and discussions that do affect us as a community.”

Alexx’s wanting to do a panel meant the streamer “really enjoyed” not only conducting the broadcast but setting up and preparing for it. Not only did they prepare the interview questions but even created all the designs and overlays themselves. Fortunately, it all paid off in the end when viewers came from all over to listen in to what Alexx and his friends had to say.

“At the end of the stream I was really glad how I had so many people come in, actually sit there, and just watch it and listen to us speak.”

Not only did Alexx enjoy the time spent but it appears his viewers did too, bringing in positive feedback.

“A lot of people were just praising the fact that we were talking about these conversations and we were being very open about it.”

Of course, Alexx still continued to stream all throughout Pride month, whether that was continuing his playthrough of Kingdom Hearts or inviting others on for some games of Fortnite. This all kept the streamer plenty busy.

“We were doing a lot, and I wanted to do a lot because I wanted to use that time to really connect with people celebrating Pride.

“I really wanted to make sure that I was connecting with the online community and just sort of having my space there as a space where people can go.”

Doing all of this work allowed Alexx to put themselves out there to viewers that wanted a “place to escape” during the busy month.

Alexx was extremely thankful for Twitch providing him with this opportunity and felt it was unique to Twitch as a streaming site. The streamer said they had learned a lot from Pride month this time around, particularly when it comes to “being vocal about who you are and showing that you are proud of the journey that you’ve taken.”

The interactions and individuals Alexx met whilst partaking in the Pride Month celebrations on Twitch made them feel a part of a larger community, one they enjoyed learning about individually.

“I got to learn about their lives, their personal journeys as well. And I honestly will say this, I don’t think there was another platform that was doing the same thing that Twitch was,” they said.

Alexx highlighted how Pride on Twitch was inclusive of all streamers, regardless of their follower count, truly aligning with inclusivity.

“I really value the way that Twitch did it because it wasn’t just like for Partners, it was Affiliate as well.

“It was just good that we could have such a diverse range of people come through and be part of this event.”

Finally, Alexx complimented how Twitch’s tools and features help to protect both himself and his community from potential harm, especially during these bigger broadcasts with the front-page spotlight added into the mix.

“The moderation tools that Twitch has have given me the peace of mind that I know I can easily ban people (and) block terms. I can keep myself safe as well as my community.

“I don’t have to jump through hoops or anything like that to sort of go through and actually, you know, do the moderation.

“There are a lot of things that in moderation terms that Twitch has provided that I’m very grateful for because it keeps me safe and it keeps my community safe as well.”