Conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey was suspended, then reinstated on Twitter on Monday night, for a tweet critical of a Fox News segment on transgender children.
Stuckey, who hosts the Blaze Media podcast “Relatable” and is a prominent conservative Christian presence on the social media platform, tweeted her reaction to the cable network’s coverage.
“I’m stunned that Fox News ran a segment celebrating a girl whose parents ‘transitioned’ her into a boy when she was five because she apparently told them she was a boy ‘before [she] could talk.’ Absolutely maddening & heartbreaking,” Stuckey tweeted on Friday.
Twitter responded by locking her account for violating the platform’s “rules against hateful conduct.”
“You may not promote violence against, threaten, or harass other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease,” read a message from Twitter.
Stuckey appealed Twitter’s decision, and other prominent conservatives expressed their support for her.
“Just got word from @conservmillen that she’s been locked out for hateful conduct. It seems they’ll keep this up until everyone remaining on the platform either agrees with them or censors themselves,” tweeted Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon.
Eventually, Twitter apologized, saying the social media giant had made an “error.”
“We’ve determined there was no violation and have restored your account to full functionality,” Twitter notified Stuckey.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate you taking the time to submit your appeal request to us,” Twitter added.
I’m stunned that Fox News ran a segment celebrating a girl whose parents “transitioned” her into a boy when she was 5 because she apparently told them she was a boy “before [she] could talk.” Absolutely maddening & heartbreaking. https://t.co/T8k1QQS6uH pic.twitter.com/kCvacbtY3X
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) June 10, 2022
For those who didn’t know. Got kicked out of Twitter for this. 😬 I appealed it pic.twitter.com/T7xucaGHRA
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) June 14, 2022
Fox News shocked viewers on Friday when it ran a glowing segment about the family of transgender teen Ryland Whittington, who, despite being a biological female, was socially transitioned as a male at the tender age of five.
The network described the fourteen-year-old, whose voice sounds like that of a pubescent boy, as a “typical Southern California teenager.”
“Before Ryland could speak he managed to tell his parents that he is a boy,” the segment stated. Ryland’s mother said it was “painful” for Ryland to wear girls’ clothes even before the age of five. The network even cited Ryland’s mom’s “conservative faith” as a factor in their decision to support their daughter’s transition.
Ryland first went viral in a family YouTube video in 2014, and Ryland’s mother has written a book titled “Raising Ryland.”
“What extraordinary courage displayed by Ryland, his sister Brinley, father Jeff, and mom Hillary. I want to thank the Whittington family for speaking to us. It’s not easy, particularly at a time when transgender issues have been politicized. People are afraid of what they do not understand, Dana. This family hopes their story will lead to more understanding, more acceptance, and ultimately more love,” correspondent Bryan Llenas remarked to anchor Dana Perino.
The segment also promoted the transgender activist talking point that children and young people whose new gender identities aren’t affirmed are vulnerable to suicide. “I’d rather have a living son than a dead daughter,” Ryland’s mom said in the segment.
However, many have criticized the studies that have served as the basis for such claims. For example, at least one study even shows that suicide rates among children have increased in states where children have easy access to puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones without parental consent. Other studies, such as a recent Stanford study and a study by the Trevor Project, omit important variables such as the relationship the child had with their parents and the pre-existing mental state of the child, numerous reports have pointed out.