Free Speech Activist Lindsay Shepherd’s Twitter Account Restored After Ban for ‘Misgendering’

Twitter has restored free speech activist Lindsay Shepherd’s account after widespread outrage. Shepherd was initially banned from the social media platform after getting into an argument with a transgender user.

Lindsay Shepherd’s Twitter account has been restored after getting suspended amid an argument with a controversial transgender user who goes by the name Jessica Yaniv, according to a report by the Post Millennial.

“I’m back,” tweeted Shepherd on Friday along with a purported screenshot of the email she had received from the social media platform, informing the free speech activist that her account had been restored.

I'm back pic.twitter.com/EMDTuHDTjh

— Lindsay Shepherd (@NewWorldHominin) July 26, 2019

“After further review, we have unsuspended your account as it does not appear to be in violation of the Twitter Rules,” read the apparent email from Twitter. “Your account is now unsuspended. We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience.”

Shepherd was initially suspended from Twitter after “misgendering,” not using language associated with an individual’s preferred gender, and engaging in an argument with Jessica Yaniv, a transgender individual who has recently made headlines for targeting at least sixteen female business owners after they had refused to wax Yaniv’s male genitalia. Yaniv insulted Shepherd’s genitalia, womanhood, and motherhood during the argument, but faced no penalty from the platform.

The report also noted that after Shepherd was banned from Twitter — and after a publication ban prohibiting media from reporting on one of the genitalia waxing cases was lifted — Yaniv received more exposure by the media, which in turn, led to multiple women coming forward, alleging that Yaniv had abused them when they were just fourteen and fifteen years old.

“I believe the main reason I got my account back was because a lot of people, some with big platforms, spoke out and brought attention to this, so I thank them,” said Shepherd.

The free speech activist also mentioned that she believes her account’s restoration shows “the arbitrary nature of Twitter’s terms of service,” according to the Post Millennial.

If my account was reinstated after a permanent ban, then other decisions taken by the company could be just as subjective,” said Shepherd.

Last year, prominent Canadian feminist Meghan Murphy was also suspended from Twitter after engaging in an online argument with Yaniv. The feminist, who has also tweeted comments like “men aren’t women,” is still suspended from the social media platform today.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler at @alana, and on Instagram.