Twitch explains why they won’t ban Sweet Anita despite tics breaking TOS

Hannah Van-de-Peer
Sweet Anita Twitch Tourette's

Twitch has explained why they haven’t banned streaming star Sweet Anita from their site. While Anita’s forced “racial and phobic slurs” officially go against the platform’s terms and conditions, Twitch want to create a “welcoming environment” for disabled users. 

Gaming sensation Sweet Anita is known for her transparency. From advocating against sexual harassment to getting candid about her mental health, fans have continuously praised her for her openness.

The streamer, who also suffers with Tourette’s Syndrome, has spoken previously about viewers sexualizing her condition. In an interview with HuffPost, Anita revealed that men have often fetishized her “tics and outbursts.”

On August 12, opened up about her early days on Twitch. Speaking to BBC News, she expressed her initial worries about being banned from the platform.

Sweet Anita Tourette's Twitch star
Anita has always been candid about her struggles as a disabled content creator

Anita spoke truthfully about her tics

Anita suffers from a rare (but highly popularized) symptom of Tourette’s, known as Coprolalia. This involves verbal “outbursts,” often including explicit language. Anita’s tics have previously gone down the route of swear words and body parts.

“You can’t use… slurs (on Twitch),” the content creator said. “My tics force me to.” As well as opening up about how the disorder has impacted her career, she described the effects Tourette’s has on her mind and body. “It feels like you’re being physically forced to say these things,” she said.

Anita’s unapologetic ability to be herself has earned her legions of fans. Her follower count on Twitch currently stands at 1.7 million.

Sweet Anita Twitch Tourettes
Anita thought her Tourette’s would earn her a ban from Twitch

Twitch explains why they haven’t banned Anita

In a statement to BBC News, Twitch said it wanted to create a “welcoming environment” for disabled content creators. They also stated that this kind of environment “sets a level of decency and respect for our community.”

In response to Anita specifically, they emphasized their “delight” in “supporting streamers like Anita as they grow their careers.”

Check out Anita’s Twitch channel, now streaming six days a week!

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About The Author

Hannah is a former Dexerto Entertainment writer based in Cambridge, UK. Having decided to transform her tea-spilling skills into a career path, she mainly covers YouTube, TikTok and influencer culture. As well as having a BA in Linguistics, Hannah has freelanced for UK and international publications like Cosmopolitan, VICE, HuffPost, The Guardian, Stylist and Metro.