Babylon Bee editor: We refuse to bow to Twitter’s censorship of a joke – New York Post
Yesterday, Twitter suspended the account of satirical site The Babylon Bee for a post that jokingly named Rachel Levine, the transgender Assistant Secretary for Health, Man of the Year. Here, editor-in-chief Kyle Mann, co-author of The Babylon Bee Guide to Wokeness, explains why he isnt going to back down to the social media giants demands.
Well, it finally happened (were kind of surprised it didnt happen sooner): The Babylon Bee has been locked out of our Twitter account.
The satirical article that offended the Twitter overlords? The Babylon Bees Man Of The Year Is Rachel Levine. For the simple offense of labeling a biological man a man, through a satirical headline, we have lost access to all 1.3 million of our followers on Twitter.
A world where you can state a simple biological fact and face censorship, the loss of revenue and your livelihood, and excommunication from the public square for stating truth, no matter how satirical tongue-in-cheek your tone is, is a scary one indeed. As the famous Ron Paul saying goes, Truth is treason in the empire of lies.
Boy, are we feeling that today. (Can I still say boy or will that get me banned too?)
Of course, theres some nuance here: were satire. Were comedy. The primary goal of our satire is to bring levity and laughter to our audience. The fact that a purely comedic account can get banned for a joke admittedly one thats particularly spicy in our current cultural climate should worry everyone about the health of our society. When cultural revolutions happen, the comics and entertainers are the first to be targeted by the revolutionaries. Those looking to upend our society know the power of entertainment and satire, for they use it to great effect as they spread their ideas to the next generation.
Control the comedians, control the messaging, and you control the minds of the people.
And indeed, its control over our minds that Twitter wants. They cant just delete the offending tweet and let us back in. They want us to go into our account and click the delete button ourselves. We have to bend the knee, kiss the ring, bow to the towering statue of LGBTQ politics when the trumpets play, or we stay on timeout indefinitely. We have to promise to do better, implicitly agree that calling a man a man is hate speech, and then well be allowed the right to speak on Twitters platform.
Well, were not going to do that. Were fighting back. Well do whatever we have to do to retain our integrity here. As Orwell wrote, Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
If we give that up, if we agree to succumb to their ideological madness simply to access a wider audience, were giving up our minds, the last holdout against tyranny. Well wait Twitter out, well appeal Twitters decision, well spread the message far and wide that weve been kicked out for hate speech simply for telling a joke Big Tech did not like.
Its time to take a stand, and that time is now. If we wait any longer, we may no longer have that chance. Weve been incredibly blessed at The Babylon Bee in that we have a healthy number of paying subscribers who help us keep the lights on, and were going to use that to stand firm here and do whats right. Well continue to spread our comedy and tell our jokes that communicate truth to a culture that hates truth on whatever platforms will allow us to, and were grateful for those who stand alongside us in this fight.
Read more:
Babylon Bee editor: We refuse to bow to Twitter's censorship of a joke - New York Post
- A&M professor ordered to adjust curriculum speaks with KBTX about academic censorship concerns - KBTX News 3 - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- 60+ Small Tasks to Defend the Right to Read: Book Censorship News, January 9, 2026 - Book Riot - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Tanzanias Samia Suluhu Hassan named Tyrant of the Year - Index on Censorship - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Letter: Keep library free of censorship - The Columbian - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- CDT 2025 Year-End Roundup: Most Notable Censored Articles and Essays (Part 2) - China Digital Times - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Snapshots of Censorship: Viewpoint diversity? No, this is censorship - PEN America - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Opinion | Where hate speech censorship is even worse than on U.S. campuses - The Washington Post - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Philosopher Steve Fuller on Science, Censorship, and the Church of Darwin - Science and Culture Today - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Sivakarthikeyan opens up on Parasakthi censorship; wishes Jana Nayagan success - The Hindu - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- "The effects of these developments are not yet clear" how the VPN industry responded to 2025's biggest threats - TechRadar - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Amid Jana Nayagans controversy, Ram Gopal Varma says censor board is outdated: It insults viewers - The Indian Express - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Looks like another year of intolerance, ignorance and censorship - Canberra CityNews - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Opinion: I counted Trumps censorship attempts. Heres what I found. - The Salt Lake Tribune - January 4th, 2026 [January 4th, 2026]
- DACC Board to Consider Public Censor of Member - Vermilion County First - January 4th, 2026 [January 4th, 2026]
- 15 Clever Ways Classic Movies Got Past the Censors - Cracked.com - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- The Year in Art: Censorship, Satire, and Introspection - Ocula - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- DACC board to consider public censor of member - The News-Gazette - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- Americas free speech tsar: We reject Brits who censor the US - thetimes.com - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- Trump Bars 5 Europeans From the U.S. Over Their Censorship Efforts - Yahoo - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- Performing Censorship: Theatre and expression in Russia today - The Boar - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- Opinion | I Counted Trumps Censorship Attempts. Heres What I Found. - The New York Times - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- A year of censorship and repression. And victory against the Russian state - The Barents Observer - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Proposed Alabama bill sparks debate over library governance and censorship concerns - WBMA - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- States Tried to Censor Kids Online. Courts, and EFF, Mostly Stopped Them: 2025 in Review - Electronic Frontier Foundation - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Trump Bars 5 Europeans From the U.S. Over Their Censorship Efforts - Reason Magazine - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- A Banner Year for Domestic and Global Censorship by the US - theunpopulist.net - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- The science of how (and when) we decide to speak outor self-censor - Ars Technica - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Imran Ahmed on Trump's threat to deport him over 'censorship' for countering online hate - PBS - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Shots fired in the US-EU war over digital censorship - The Week - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Americas free speech tsar: We reject Brits who censor the US - The Times - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Congress's Crusade to Age Gate the Internet: 2025 in Review - Electronic Frontier Foundation - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- CBS Political Censorship of "60 Minutes": Another Victim of Media Merger Madness - btlonline.org - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Trump admin pushes back on European censorship - Fox News - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- They Seek to Curb Online Hate. The U.S. Accuses Them of Censorship. - The New York Times - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of possible action after the U.S. bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship - Los Angeles Times - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- CBS 60 Minutes Censorship Rings Another Alarm, Warning of Corporate Medias Threat to Democracy - Democracy Now! - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Trump administration bars 5 Europeans from entry to the U.S. over alleged censorship - NPR - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- US targets former EU commissioner, activists with visa bans over alleged censorship - Reuters - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of action after U.S. bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship - Global News - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- US bars five Europeans it says pressured tech firms to censor American viewpoints online - AP News - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of possible action after the US bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship - AP News - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU rejects US claims of censorship over tech rules after visa bans - EUobserver - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Trump administration bans top EU figures, citing 'censorship' of American views online - The National Desk - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Turkey intensifies censorship of LGBT-related content across media and culture in 2025 - Stockholm Center for Freedom - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Trump administration bars Europeans from U.S. for pressuring tech firms to censor American speech - Fortune - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- 'The myth of 'European censorship' is wielded by the Trump administration to avoid regulating Big Tech' - Le Monde.fr - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- How The Pogues Responded to Censorship of Their Hit Song Fairytale of New York: Times Change - VICE - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- RUBIO GOES ON OFFENSE AGAINST EU CENSORSHIP-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX The Trump administration is escalating its fight over free speech, not just at home,... - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Opportunity fleeing the coasts, from censorship to forced speech and other commentary - New York Post - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of possible action after US bars five Europeans accused of censorship - Sky News - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of possible action after the US bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship - The Daily Review - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of possible action after the US bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship - The Journal Gazette - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- France condemns travel restrictions on EU officials over online censorship - Washington Times - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Tonight in Your Rights: Beating the censors - All Rise News | Substack - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- CBS Shelves 60 Minutes Story On Trump Deportees At The Last Minute: People Are Threatening To Quit, Staffers Say - The Seattle Medium - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Exiled journalisms biggest threat is something more mundane than censorship - Nieman Lab - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Epstein victims angry over gaps and censorship in long-awaited file release - South China Morning Post - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- MI6 Confidential Issue #77 - MI6 - The Home Of James Bond - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- 2025 Book Censorship Wrapped: Trends, Challenges, and Successes Over The Year - Book Riot - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Indias Film Censorship Is Getting More Political and a New Data Leak Reveals Just How Deep It Runs - IndieWire - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Should the phrase "globalise the intifada" be banned? - Index on Censorship - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Sonys new censorship patent is one of the most hostile attacks on the arts yet - Digitally Downloaded - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- China Bans Winnie the Pooh? Country Now Forbids the Yellow Bear - Inside the Magic - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- A heart full of hope: behind the doors closed to women in Afghanistan - Index on Censorship - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Sony files AI censorship patent to make PlayStation games playable for all ages - Interesting Engineering - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- EFF Takes a Stand Against Censorship Disguised as Age Verification Laws - newsbreaks.infotoday.com - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- The 60 Minutes report on CECOT that Bari Weiss censored is now internet contraband - The Verge - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- 60 Minutes Staff Threaten to Quit Over Trump-Friendly Censorship - Inquisitr News - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Report: Over 8,700 news articles censored in Turkey in 2024 - Bianet - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- CBS, coverup, censorship, and that pesky tipping point - Daily Kos - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Repression deepens in Hong Kong with Jimmy Lais guilty verdict and censorship over deadly Wang Fuk Court fire - FIRE | Foundation for Individual... - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- PlayStation's AI Censorship Tool Is Angering Gamers, 'Black Mirror Is Here' - GAMINGbible - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- The right should be pro-actively defending free speech, not getting caught up in petty censorship feuds - nypost.com - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- EFF, Open Rights Group, Big Brother Watch, and Index on Censorship Call on UK Government to Repeal Online Safety Act - Electronic Frontier Foundation - December 16th, 2025 [December 16th, 2025]
- Censor approval pending as IFFK puts 19 films, including Palestine-themed titles, on hold | Entertainment News - Hindustan Times - December 16th, 2025 [December 16th, 2025]
- Europes real censorship problem isnt what Trump claims - Index on Censorship - December 16th, 2025 [December 16th, 2025]
- Is impartiality possible when it comes to free speech? - Index on Censorship - December 16th, 2025 [December 16th, 2025]
- Union government disallows screening of 19 films at the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala - t2ONLINE - December 16th, 2025 [December 16th, 2025]
- This HIV Expert Refused To Censor Data, Then Quit the CDC - KFF Health News - December 16th, 2025 [December 16th, 2025]
- Dhurandhar Faces Regional Censorship in the Gulf but Dominates India With Massive Action-Spy Buzz - Times of India - December 14th, 2025 [December 14th, 2025]