Spotify has removed offensive imagery associated with a controversial song by Christian rapper Tyson James and his 11-year-old son Toby James, following a complaint by GLAAD.

However, the song “Still 2 Genders,” criticized for its transphobic lyrics, continues to be available on the platform. Meanwhile, no changes have been made to Apple Music’s platform.

Earlier this month, The Advocatereported that the song was accessible on major music streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, despite its derogatory lyrics towards transgender individuals, including a slur to describe them. The situation caught the attention of GLAAD, which then took up the issue with Spotify’s trust and safety team.

In an updated statement provided to The Advocate, a spokesperson from GLAAD emphasized the importance of enforcing hate speech policies by companies.

“Companies have hate speech policies to protect all users from toxic content and especially from content that incites violence against marginalized people. When these policies are violated, it is important to see companies enforce them,” the statement read.

GLAAD’s statement highlighted the grave real-world implications of hateful rhetoric and imagery connecting it to a tragic incident.

“The terrible murder of Lauri Carlton, an ally who had hung a Pride flag outside her store, is connected to a suspect who had an image of a burning Pride flag pinned to his Twitter profile,” the statement added.

The spokesperson further noted, “Rhetoric, images, and targeting of LGBTQ people encourages real-world harms. Companies and brands must continue to recognize their responsibility to people’s safety and public safety and immediately act to avoid facilitating anti-LGBTQ hate and violence.”

Spotify responded by removing the album cover and video imagery that included a burning Progress Pride flag GLAAD noted to The Advocate. Despite these steps, the song itself, carrying an anti-trans slur and dehumanizing transgender people as “demons,” remains live on Spotify’s platform.

Both Spotify and Apple Music have policies in place to moderate content on their platforms. Apple Music for Artists’ terms of service stipulates that all lyrics provided to the platform must be “correct, accurate, and do not contain hate speech.” On the other hand, Spotify’s Dangerous Content policy bars “content that incites violence or hatred towards a person or group of people based on race, religion, gender identity or expression.”

Despite these policies, Apple Music has yet to make any changes or respond to inquiries regarding the song’s availability on its platform.

In a prior response, GLAAD had stressed the digital sphere’s struggle with hate speech moderation, especially concerning anti-LGBTQ+ content, which extends beyond the realm of music streaming platforms. Their concern was not only about the derogatory lyrics but also the inconsistency in enforcing content policies by these platforms, which undermines the safety and inclusivity of all users.

As the scrutiny continues, both Spotify and Apple Music remain unresponsive to multiple inquiries from The Advocate regarding this issue. This scenario underscores a broader discussion concerning digital content moderation on streaming platforms, especially around anti-LGBTQ+ content.

link: https://www.advocate.com/news/spotify-transphobic-song-glaad

archive link: https://archive.ph/tz9FX

  • Ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 year ago

    We can remove hate speech though, and conflating hate speech with “every single piece of art we find objectionable” is dodgy af.

    • Pirate_lemmy_arrrrR@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 year ago

      Eminem has a lot of homophobic lyrics. Think you’re going to get him removed? Music has always pushed the boundaries of what’s acceptable. Sometimes that’s a good thing, other times it’s not. But I think an artists freedom of expression overrides your feelings.

    • AWittyUsername@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Having an opinion (even a controversial one) isn’t hate speech. Does the song actually call for anything hateful?

      • RGB3x3@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        It’s only two genders, you’re parents are jackin’ you up

        They might as well put some crack in your cup

        You came out innocent, now you’re corrupt

        Now, you stand on the bridge, and you just wanna jump, heh

        Got these pink-haired devils

        Teachin’ the kids in the school, they are vessels

        Used by the enemy, he’s just a rebel

        Let’s turn up the kettle

        When God gets ahold of 'em, he won’t be gentle (he won’t be gentle

        Yes, it does.

        • abuttifulpigeon@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          That’s no call to action, all those lyrics are saying is that the author believes God will punish them, he’s not telling everyone else to do the same.

          • RGB3x3@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            The problem is that there are people who think that God has called to them to punish the “sinners,” so lyrics like that can very easily be the encouragement those people need to commit to action.

            It’s dangerous to talk about a group of people that way. It’s dehumanizing.

            • glockenspiel@programming.dev
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              1 year ago

              This is legit a similar argument to the satanic panic or attempts to ban metal and violent video games.

              Hold bad doers responsible.

          • RGB3x3@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            It took me a minute to read through the lyrics so that I could be informed about exactly what’s in the controversial song.

            It’s easy to have an informed opinion.

        • cricket97@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Yeah it’s making fun of people. That doesn’t make it hate speech. Most of the world believes there are two genders, people are allowed to make fun of people who disagree with them.

      • Jonna@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Quoting from the song, “LGBTQ, Let God Burn Them Quickly” Does that qualify?

        • AWittyUsername@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          No. You can’t call god to incite violence. God doesn’t exist, if they did I’d like to think that they’d be inclusive.

    • cricket97@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      saying “there are two genders” is not hate speech. You are allowed to make fun of people in a song, that doesn’t make it hate speech.

      • Jonna@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Quoting from the song, “LGBTQ, Let God Burn Them Quickly” Is that not hate speech?

        • cricket97@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          He’s saying gay people will go to hell. Not hate speech but rather an accurate reflection of what he believes.