Bodybuilder Knut banned from Twitch for transphobic stream
Bodybuilder Knut Spildrejorde has been growing his popularity as a Twitch streamer recently. But his growth was cut short when the Norwegian streamer had his channel banned on October 8.
Many in the streaming community are demanding that Knut be permanently banned from Twitch after his most recent stunt. In his latest live stream, Knut strolled into a room full of other streamers with two transgender sex workers tailing after him.
The streamers, including Andy Milonakis, turned around to see what all the commotion was about when Knut said, “Andy, I have some girls for you!”
Although the response to the sex workers presence was mostly wholesome, with Milonakis asking if some chairs could be pulled up for the guests so that they could join in the next poker game, many viewers felt that Knut had been intentionally cruel in the scenario.
For some, it appeared as though Knut was taking a jab at the trans women’s identities.
“If it’s not a perma I’m going to be disappointed, Knut can’t keep getting chances when he’s very clearly hugely in favor of hate speech and discrimination. There is a difference between humor and straight up being a hateful bigot and Knut has crossed that so many times,” one Reddit user said. “And people like him ruin the humor side of things for others that do not cross these lines.”
While others have stood up for Knut in the situation, the body builder’s true feelings about the trans individuals became clear later in the broadcast. Sitting in what appears to be a lobby after leaving the poker game, Knut starts comparing gender identity to how he feels about his age in a very mocking tone.
“I don’t look over 40. I identify as 25, but my biology says 33. So if you are mis-aging me, I’ll get you banned,” Knut said. “I feel 25. It’s just a social construction being a certain age. Because math is socially constructed.”
Knut commented on the situation on another streamer’s chat after the broadcast. As streamer BadBunny spoke about how intrusive it is to ask a trans person about their genitals, Knut commented that he just made his “best content on Twitch ever” by going out and buying “two trans hookers to sit at the table.”
“The only reason I come out as ‘right’ is ’cause of not important topics like trans. Typical American triggering topics,” Knut continued.
This isn’t the first time that Knut has been called out for being homophobic, and he’s been called out for being racist in the past as well.
Similar to his most recent stream, Knut and his followers are often quick to say it’s all just “a joke.” He was also called out time for calling BadBunny “retarded” when she was discussing social issues. There’s also a clip where he calls Nazis “left-wing” while in a similar chat with the same woman.
Whether Knut is “joking” or just hoping to “trigger” certain people, it’s safe to say that continuously spouting sexist, racist, and homophobic things on Twitch will eventually get you banned. It’s currently unclear how long his ban from Twitch will be for this time.
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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