why libbey ketterer (thedailysign) should be deplatformed, a thread

first of all, i want to add a disclaimer that i am hearing. all points made in this thread simply reflect points being made by Deaf people who have already commented on this. you can find explanations made by Deaf people at msdeafqueen on instagram and megan alexandra on facebook

i also want to add that i am only making this thread as a hearing person because i want people who may not know about this situation otherwise to possibly come across this thread and understand why the behaviour libbey exhibits is harmful. that being said, let’s get started

if you don’t know, libbey is a hearing creator who has made youtube videos since 2014 under the name thedailysign. she makes “asl” covers of popular songs. this is a problem, as asl is considered to be for Deaf people, and libbey doing this is seen as cultural appropriation

furthermore, libbey brands these videos as “asl covers” but in the past has stated that her translation is closer to pse (pidgin signed english) which is asl signs with english syntax and word order. pse is NOT a language, asl is.

asl is a language completely separate from english with its own grammar structure. it is likely that libbey markets her videos as asl covers simply to get more views.

libbey constantly exploits the Deaf community for views & money. her videos have ads enabled and are most likely monetized. in the past, libbey has released merch (pictured below) that revolve around asl, therefore profiting off a language and community that doesn’t belong to her

now, we’ll get into why libbey is currently under fire. recently, a Black Deaf creator ( @Freelove19xx ) made an asl cover of WAP. libbey did the same. her translation was objectively worse, however her video went viral. she was asked by many in the Deaf community to delete it

she was also asked to no longer make asl content. she doubled down and played the victim. i will also attach the open letter that was written by Deaf community members to libbey asking her to delete. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NZb_XKri-GVy-wQ8EUj0Do9feIL7OLrt6e_vbgULyqc/mobilebasic

as of now, libbey has released an announcement that she will no longer be uploading asl content (not translated into asl and therefore not accessible to all) and an apology video (not yet captioned and not translated into asl)

tw// mentions of suicide

both videos are very guilt tripping to those who are calling her out and she continues to play the victim (even mentioning the possibility of committing suicide in a video that is still posted on her instagram)

at this point, libbey has stated that she wants to turn her youtube channel into a mental health channel. many believe that she should take a break or stop posting on youtube altogether. it is up to you if you want to support her, but if you do, it’s important to know her past

i want to conclude this thread by asking that instead of supporting libbey, you support Deaf creators, especially Black Deaf creators. some great examples of Deaf creators are DeafinitelyDope (facebook and instagram), @Freelove19xx , msdeafqueen (instagram), AndySigns (youtube)..

Rikki Poynter (youtube), Deafies in Drag (youtube), etc (there are so many Deaf creators that deserve more recognition). i also urge you to support your local Deaf organizations. if you are Deaf and you see this thread, feel free to promote anything you need to promote. thanks.