A Facebook Gaming streamer has faced immense backlash and been banned from the platform after claiming that he now identifies as Black. Jerry Banfield, who’s best known for his COD: Warzone content, made these claims live on stream yesterday (16 February), and as reported by Ginx TV, has been criticised for ridiculing Black individuals during Black History Month (in the US and Canada).
“I'm not a comedian, I'm dead serious, I'm not playing around, I’m not joking, I’m dead serious. I’m now a Black man, I identify as African American, I don't want to be called white,” Banfield said.
The streamer went on to back up his claims by making comparisons to transgender individuals, who (rightfully) express their right to identify as the gender they are, regardless of having had gender-reassignment surgery or not.
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“I could look down today, and look at the penis that's right there, and say ‘I'm a woman, everybody, I'm a woman.’ I could look down and do that perfectly well today, and say ‘guys, guys, I’m a woman now, I don’t care that there’s a penis right here, I’m a woman’,” he said. “And I've chosen that I'm Black. I've had enough of being white, I'm tired of identifying as white, and that's not what’s true for me anymore.”
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how problematic this is, and on so many levels. Clearly, Facebook has recognised that too, as they’ve cut all ties with the streamer since the clips went viral.
“Thank you to everyone who alerted us to a livestream this morning which ran counter to the spirit of Black History Month,” Facebook Gaming wrote on Twitter. “We have cut ties with the creator in question, removing them from our official programs, including access to the monetisation features, effective today.”
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It doesn’t seem that Banfield will be making a return any time soon, and at this time, he hasn’t apologised for his actions.
Featured Image Credit: @JakeSucky via Twitter / Jerry Banfield via Facebook Gaming, ActivisionTopics: Twitch, no article matching