The Real Reason Twitch Won't Suspend Sweet Anita
Through her various channels, Twitch streamer and YouTuber Sweet Anita entertains over a million followers with gaming streams and chats. She shares everything from her love for animals to women's empowerment to stories and insights about living with Tourette syndrome (TS), and there's a very good reason why she's remained active on Twitch.
As defined by Mayo Clinic, "Tourette syndrome is a disorder that involves repetitive movements or unwanted sounds (tics) that can't be easily controlled." Anita has both vocal and motor tics, including coprolalia, a tic involving involuntarily saying offensive words or phrases. There are many other types of tics, and the streamer herself has described swearing tics as "really, really rare." In Anita's case, these tics have caused her a lot of fear about being able to continue streaming, mainly due to Twitch's anti-obscenity rules.
As she shared in a new BBC interview, when Anita feels a tic coming on, it's "agonizing." As she explained, "it feels like you're being physically forced to say these things. I get this very strong urge. And if I don't do it, then I become incredibly stressed and distracted." Though Twitch doesn't allow offensive or abusive language, Anita's not saying it by choice. In her words, "my tics force me to [say it]."
Despite Anita's legitimate fear of being suspended or otherwise disciplined on Twitch, the platform shared with the BBC that it is "delighted to support streamers like Anita as they grow their careers and community." Twitch also wrote that it aims to "create a welcoming environment which sets a level of decency and respect for our community."
Twitch's response is obviously comforting to hear, but that doesn't mean that Anita's road has been an easy one.
Sweet Anita on raising Tourette syndrome awareness
Though Twitch has certainly enforced some bogus bans in the past, it seems that the platform is taking a different approach to protect creators with disabilities. This is a win, especially considering the fact that Sweet Anita has faced her fair share of online and real-world discrimination and abuse due to her Tourette syndrome — as well as the common reality of being sexually harrassed as a woman streamer, as she explained to HuffPost.
Anita shared her experience of being "quietly rejected" due to her TS with BBC, including a past home eviction, job application problems, and people thinking she's faking her tics. Despite the challenges and misunderstandings she's faced, Anita feels hopeful that people are learning more about TS and growing in acceptance. In her words, "Every time people understand my condition more, the world gets a bit safer for people like me."
It's also worth noting that she's not the only star to have spoken about their experiences with TS, as people like Billie Eilish have also been candid about life with Tourette syndrome. Fans who are at all curious to learn more about TS can do so on Sweet Anita's YouTube channel. The streamer has put together a dedicated playlist where she shares details about her disability and answers some of the most common questions she gets about it.