Labour MP Dawn Butler ‘quits X’ over abuse she receives for defending minority groups
Labour MP Dawn Butler. (Robert Perry/Getty Images)
Labour MP Dawn Butler has announced she’s quitting X, formerly known as Twitter due to “all of the haters and abuse” she receives.
On Monday (1 April), Butler, who was the first elected Black female government minister in the House of Commons, took to Twitter/X to confirm she has decided to leave the platform due to abuse, which she said was particularly pronounced when she stands up for minority groups.
In a post shared with her more than 240,000 followers the LGBTQ+ advocate wrote: “Personal Announcement: I’ve decided to quit twitter/X because of all the haters and abuse I get. Especially when I stand up for minoritised groups.”
The post, which has been liked almost 1,000 times, has more than 530 replies, most of which call for the MP to stay on the platform and ignore the haters.
It isn’t uncommon for figures who fight for equality to quit Twitter/X, and in May 2023 LGBT Youth Scotland, a charity for queer young people, deleted its Twitter account over safety fears due to “increase in extreme views” following Elon Musk’s takeover.
Dawn Butler’s announcement came after she marked Easter Sunday with a post that shared her personal goal of deciding to “be kinder” this year, despite what her personal feelings may be.
She added that it “hasn’t been easy” to achieve her goal due to being “in politics”.
Dawn Butler has been MP for the north west London constituency of Brent Central since 2015; prior to this she was the MP for Brent South between 2005 and 2010. Between 2017 and 2020 she served as the shadow minister for women and equalities.
In 2020 Butler, who said she’s a “regular at Pride”, told PinkNews that it was up to affected minorities to say what qualified as prejudice.
She said: “So, obviously, trans people will define what transphobia is. You cannot be the voice of other people with those lived experiences.
“It’s the same with anti-semitism – Jewish people define what anti-semitism is. Trans people define what transphobia is.”
Butler is an avid supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and previously wrote on Facebook: “I will always stand up for the LGBT+ community.
“It matters that you feel safe to be your authentic selves. In me, you will always have an ally.”
PinkNews has contacted Butler’s office for comment.
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