NickMercs' Latest Comments Lead to Calls for Twitch Ban
The LGBTQ+ community is calling for streamer Nick "NICKMERCS" Kolcheff to be banned from Twitch after he took to his livestream to spout concerning anti-trans rhetoric. Again.
A few nights ago, a viewer accused NICKMERCS of being transphobic based on comments he made towards the trans community last year. In response, NICKMERCS retorted that trans people are not real. He said it's as simple as men having penises and women having vaginas, concluding that he has "said my piece" and was sick of people allegedly trying to convince him to change his views on the matter.
"There’s no such thing as trans people… That’s something that you created… So have fun with your little dream land, but that shit is not even real," NICKMERCS said to his young audience.
“There’s no such thing as trans people… that’s something that you created… so have fun with your little dream land, but that shit is not even real”
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) June 11, 2024
NickMercs gives his opinions on Transgenders pic.twitter.com/fW1TouREhk
The clip went viral and the LGBTQ+ community quickly reacted to what they heard. Some people on X called him a "bigot" and even demanded that Twitch ban him for what he said, claiming it went against the platform's Community Guidelines.
The guidelines on hate speech read: "We do not tolerate hateful or harassing behavior, or conduct that encourages or incites hate or harassment in any way. However, we allow users to discuss content that is hateful or harassing for the purposes of satire or education, as long as this context is clear."
then here’s my final take. @Twitch needs to ban nickmercs.
— Vale (@Th3ValeOfficial) June 12, 2024
“nickmercs sucks at apex” is an opinion based on performance. hurts no one.
“trans people don’t exist and live in a fantasy world” is an opinion that is hateful, it’s erasure, and it’s prejudice. https://t.co/M0rT0jmeCb
Last year during Pride Month, NICKMERCS watched a clip of an LGBTQ+ protest outside a school and hinted that queer and trans people were targeting children, stating that they should "leave kids alone." This harmful rhetoric got his skin bundle removed from Modern Warfare 2, which led to backlash from fans at the time. Fellow streamer Timthetatman even demanded that Activision put the bundle back in or remove his skin as well.
"Nickmercs has been my friend for years," Timthetatman wrote on X at the time. "We went in getting our COD operators together. It feels wrong for me to have mine and him no longer have his. In support of my friend, please remove the Timthetatman bundle."
Twitch has not responded to the controversy as of publishing this article.
Olivia is a long-time esports journalist and editor who covers just about every game but has a deep love for the FGC. Her goal is to find community-driven stories that bring a new perspective to the esports scene. In the past, she has worked for Team Liquid, Rogue, Inven Global, Dot Esports, Upcomer, and more. Outside of esports, Olivia enjoys Kirby, Pokemon TCG, Fallout, and writing science fiction. She can be found trying out new foods, traveling, or hanging out with her two orange cats. Fun fact: Olivia can do some video game and cartoon impressions!