Why was Adin Ross banned from Twitch? Star gamer calls out site's double standard over 'hot tub' streamers
Twitch streamer Adin Ross was reportedly banned from the platform on Saturday, May 29. As per StreamerBans, Ross was unbanned again on May 30. This was his third ban, at least since 2020. Earlier the gamer was banned this year in April.
Originally an ‘NBA 2K’ content creator, Ross found widespread fame in 2021 and became one of Twitch’s biggest streamers. He is often known to stream ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ roleplay, a multiplayer mod that reportedly allows players to act out their own story in whatever fashion they want, affecting how the fictional city of Los Santos and its inhabitants, both actual players and non-player characters (NPCs), operate.
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Why was Adin Ross banned from Twitch?
Twitch doesn’t usually reveal the reasons for banning streamers. This was true in this case as well. Ross, however, reportedly believes that he was banned for producing a risque roleplay. During the game, he reportedly engaged in sexual activity with an NPC.
As per Twitch community guidelines, sexual content is a no-no. The subsection ‘Nudity, Pornography, and Other Sexual Content’ states that nudity and sexually explicit content or activities, such as pornography, sexual acts or intercourse, and sexual services, are prohibited. It further says, “Sexually suggestive content or activities are also prohibited, although they may be allowed in educational contexts or for pre-approved licensed content, in each case subject to additional restrictions.”
As per Twitch, content that is considered to be sexually suggestive includes, content or camera focus on breasts, buttocks, or pelvic region, including poses that deliberately highlight these elements; groping or explicit gestures directed towards breasts, buttocks, or genitals; fetishizing behavior or activity, such as focusing on body parts for sexual gratification or erotic role-play; Simulated sex acts or sexual stimulation; using or featuring sex toys in contexts unrelated to sexual education; erotic dances, such as those involving stripping or flashing; pole dances or acrobatics with sexually suggestive framing; and posting, displaying, or sharing erotica, including detailed descriptions of sex acts or pornography.
On an Instagram Live, Ross reportedly urged fans to get “Free Adin” trending across Twitter, in the hopes that Twitch might rescind his ban earlier than anticipated. It has since done so but whether or not it was because of tweets supporting Ross is uncertain (and even unlikely).
During the same Live, he called out the website's double standards when it comes to “hot tub streams”. These are streams where people broadcast on Twitch while in a hot tub. Most of these streamers are women in bikinis who sit in an inflatable personal hot tub while chatting with their viewers, but men have made it into the trend as well. Hot tub streams have become more controversial because last week, Twitch created an official category called ‘Pools, Hot Tubs and Beaches’ that makes sure such streamers are not banned because of existing community guidelines.
"While we have guidelines about sexually suggestive content, being found to be sexy by others is not against our rules," Twitch said in a statement Friday. "Twitch will not take enforcement action against women, or anyone on our service, for their perceived attractiveness."
At the same time, Ross began receiving outrage on Twitter for alleged homophobia. “I refuse to believe Adin Ross’s fanbase isn’t just a bunch of 14 year olds and below like there’s no way making gay jokes 24/7 can be that entertaining,” said a Twitter user. “Adin ross malding at ludwig on stream and almost ripping an f slur but pivoting to ‘very nice kid’ despite being 5 years younger and 5 inches shorter you love to see it,” said another Twitter user. One Twitter user said, “Not adin ross the guy who farms homophobic content talking lololol.”
I refuse to believe Adin Ross’s fanbase isn’t just a bunch of 14 year olds and below like there’s no way making gay jokes 24/7 can be that entertaining
— Chris (@bottleofh2o) May 31, 2021
adin ross malding at ludwig on stream and almost ripping an f slur but pivoting to "very nice kid" despite being 5 years younger and 5 inches shorter you love to see it
— s-corpion master (@slime_machine) May 31, 2021
not adin ross the guy who farms homophobic content talking lololol
— bokkie♡ (@olivethebok) May 31, 2021
Back in April, Ross was temporarily banned from the streaming platform after another streamer used a homophobic slur in front of 85,000 viewers. During an April 10 stream, Ross was alongside YouTuber Zias, who at one point, took a phone call and proceeded to call Ross homophobic slurs.