‘Yesterday I was called she/her and deadnamed on a panel by the moderator who after I corrected that you don’t call trans ppl by their old name said “I didn’t know”. Who allowed someone that doesn’t know how to address trans people moderate an LGBT panel? ‘No formal apologies have been sent to me except for @TrevorProject who immediately messaged me, came to talk to me in person and followed up later in the day with how in shock they were that it happened. I’m very confused. ‘The panel I was on was titled “LGBT Activism and Awareness” so here’s me doing my part in activism and awareness. Hire people that know LGBT to head an LGBT panel. I’ve worked in this space for years and this has never happened to me.’
A popular YouTuber has taken to social media after being deadnamed on an LGBTIQ+ panel at Vidcon, saying he's been left "confused" by the incident.
Miles McKenna raised the subject on Twitter, writing: "Yesterday I was called she/her and deadnamed on a panel by the moderator who after I corrected that you don’t call trans ppl by their old name said 'I didn’t know.'"
He added: "Who allowed someone that doesn’t know how to address trans people moderate an LGBTIQ+ panel?"
"No formal apologies have been sent to me except for @TrevorProject who immediately messaged me, came to talk to me in person and followed up later in the day with how in shock they were that it happened. I’m very confused."
Vidcon responded to the YouTube personality saying they prided themselves on being a 'safe and trusted space'.
"VidCon prides itself on being a safe and trusted space for all of our Featured Creators," they wrote in a statement.
"We do our best to research and stay vigilant in what is appropriate in each of the communities that are represented in this diverse online video space."
Still, McKenna said that his problem wasn't so much with the moderator's ignorance, but the fact that someone without the necessary understanding of the LGBTIQ+ community was hired to moderate a panel about LGBTIQ+ activism and awareness.
"The panel I was on was titled 'LGBT Activism and Awareness' so here’s me doing my part in activism and awareness. Hire people that know LGBT to head an LGBT panel. I’ve worked in this space for years and this has never happened to me."
