Twitter has been accused of "deliberate bisexual erasure" after users spotted that making a picture search using the #bisexual hashtag produces no results.
Instead, users who search #bisexual under Photos are greeted with a message that reads: "No results for #bisexual. The term you entered did not bring up any results. You may have mistyped your term or your search setting could be protecting you from some potentially sensitive content."
However, even if a user unticks a box marked "hide sensitive content," Twitter still brings up no photo results after searching the #bisexual hashtag.
No results are produced either if a user searches "#bisexual" under News or Videos. UK-based activism group The Bisexual Index has accused Twitter of "deliberate bisexual erasure," pointing out that "#bisexual is not a slur."
What does deliberate bisexual erasure look like? Click this hashtag and then see how many pictures come up: #bisexual pic.twitter.com/VEOUhoHiIZ
— The Bisexual Index (@bisexualindex) November 4, 2017
The Bisexual Index's Kate Harrad told the BBC: "Every bi-activist knows the problems of trying to search for bi-content on the web and some public wifi systems block it altogether, even when it's nothing to do with sex, because bisexual is seen as a dodgy word in itself. This is why Twitter needs to be very sensitive to any filtering that reduces access to bi content, and very aware of the problem of bisexual erasure."
Many others are also criticising Twitter for appearing to block searches using the #bisexual hashtag. However, Twitter has yet to respond to being accused of bi-erasure.
Dear Twitter,
— Riannon Benezet (@RiannonBenezet) November 5, 2017
For blocking #bisexual , 👎👎👎🖕🖕🖕 pic.twitter.com/fvSjk5ELkn
twitter: doesnt suspend racists, sexists, ban slurs, deactivate spam accounts
— alice (@afterglowsdmn) November 5, 2017
also twitter: blocks #bisexual from showing photos/results
The clocks went backwards today and so did @twitter with their LGBT policies. Now blocking #bisexual from three search features
— Sophia Banks (@sophiaphotos) November 5, 2017
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