Twitch Banned deadmau5 for Using the F-Word

Popular video game, live-streaming site Twitch has banned Canadian DJ Joel Thomas Zimmerman—better known by his stage name deadmau5—from its platform after he used a homophobic slur. 

According to ComicBook.com and Business Insider, the electronic music artist used the slur against a fellow gamer while playing and streaming the battle royale game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds over the weekend.

deadmau5 was subsequently banned from Twitch, and then took to Reddit to comment on the situation, claiming he was being "censored."  

"yeah, sorry about that guys.... i knew it was a fun place to connect and fuck around... but im not going to stand for twitch’s double standard when it comes to censoring and suspending me for harmless shit," deadmau5 said about cutting ties with Twitch in a now-deleted Reddit post. "While we’ve had some fun partnerships here and there, and they were a great company to work with... im gunna have to cut this one short. I dont have the capacity to deal with that kind of shit."

He later went on to give a non-apology about his use of the slur, claiming he didn't direct it at the entire LGBTQ community and that he didn't need to defend himself for using it.

"while it was intended to insult a fuckin asshat who was being a fucking asshat.... it wasn’t “directed at an entire group of people who have a sexual orientation that differs from my own” fuck off with that shit," deadmua5 said. "i know who i am, and i dont have to fucking sit here and cry and defend my fuckingself with the obligatory “IM NOT THAT PERSON, I AM SORRY” reflex. If im sorry for antying, im sorry that we live in a world where bottom feeding pieces of shit can sit there starring at a monitor, watching me play videos games, and just waiting for someone to get tilted so he can get a few fucking clicks. thats what i’m sorry for."

While it doesn't really surprise us that a homophobic slur was used during a heated video game live-stream (homophobia is a problem that still runs rampant in the gaming and geek communities), it's still disappointing to find out that people don't understand the damage slurs can have on people who are a part of marginalized groups.

According to deadmau5 himself, homophobic slurs are "harmless" now?? They sure didn't feel that way when they were getting screamed at me by my high school bullies, but okay! 

If deadmau5's ban from Twitch means less f-words being tossed around in popular online spaces, good riddance!