An inside look: Exploring the discreet world of ‘Alter Twitter’

CONTENT WARNING: This content may include explicit material deemed inappropriate for others. If you’re uncomfortable reading such things, we advise you to halt, or proceed cautiously.

CONSOLACION, Cebu—There may be a good reason why members of the LGBTQIA+ community, along with straight or cisgender individuals, openly share their desires and sexual tendencies without prejudices. And we might find our answers on social media, particularly on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Social media plays a vital role in the Philippines, with 86.75 million users as of January 2024, accounting for 73.4 percent of the population. Additionally, X’s advertising resources indicate that X had 10.77 million users in the Philippines in early 2024, this is according to a report from DataReportal.com.

And tucked away in the vast expanse of social media is the thriving community of “Alter Twitter,” where Filipino gays, straight men, and women shed their civility and answer their carnal desires. Here, users post explicit content of themselves and their partners, with consent, while keeping their identities hidden behind masks.

Meet Kieth or @Hoelykieth on X

For those who have ventured out on the Alter Community on X, you may have stumbled upon his name or even watched one of his videos many times.

CDN Digital recently got the opportunity to interview Kieth, not his real name, a 23-year-old gay individual from Mindanao but now based in Cebu City, who can be described as an “Alter Personality.”

With over 536,000 followers and a verified account on X, Kieth has been gaining popularity since 2019. Individuals have invited him to meet in various parts of the Philippines to do the “deed.”

He shared that he first knew about the Alter Community as a freshman in college. His friends saw a stolen picture of him being tweeted and retweeted around X by a random user.

“My circle of friends told me that someone posted a stolen picture of me while studying in (McDonald’s) with (the) caption “Cute ng baby boi nato ansarap chup*in” from an anonymous account. First, I got furious about it. But then I got curious (about) what’s this “ALTER THINGY,” Kieth shared with CDN Digital.

On exploring his identity as an ‘Alter’

From then on, Kieth was pulled into the lure of Alter Twitter and has been there for four consecutive years. Throughout his journey, Kieth met many people with whom he shared this new experience, allowing him to explore himself more.

He also cited several “advantages” he experienced during his journey and said this was his first “avenue” to express his creativity and passion.

“You’re inner gay self will be healed, where you can express more of your queerness, (and you) will meet a lot of queer people without even coming (out of the closet),” Kieth cited some pros, among others.

As time went by, Kieth grew comfortable sharing content on X and realized that he could profit from it in exchange for some exclusive, explicit content.

Kieth has gone from normal video content to doing the deed right outside a balcony in broad daylight. He has profited an estimated six monthly figures with the content he sells on Telegram, where he does serious transactions from those who contact him via X.

Safety and security

Amidst the fun and thrill, Kieth knew that his security and privacy had to be a top priority, given Alter Twitter’s public exposure on social media. Because of this, Kieth, like the other Alter personalities on X, always wore a mask in most of his posts to hide his true identity and pique his followers’ curiosity.

From the years Kieth has surfed on Alter Twitter, among all these thrilling experiences of having new friends and gaining popularity on X for his elicit acts, Kieth knew that fear was lingering just around the corner, and unfortunately, it caught up with him during one of his out-of-town acts.

On one random day, Kieth accepted a “collaboration” offer, inviting him to Manila to do the “deed” with a certain follower from X. When they met at their planned place, he went to do the deed with this random guy, but what he thought to be a two-person show became a three-person show. Minutes later, a four-man show was in the works without Kieth’s knowledge.

“While halfway (through) what we were doing, someone just barged into the room and then (removed) his clothes and joined us,” Kieth disclosed with CDN Digital.

READ: A welcome move for the LBGTQ+

Mandaue City kicks off Pride Month celebration

He revealed that he felt increasingly uncomfortable. Although he knew he had to fulfill his part of the paid activity, he couldn’t ignore the fact that three random guys had casually walked into the room and joined in without his consent.

“I attempted to get my clothes and just go ’cause I’m really uncomfortable already with the scene. But the guys stopped and forced me to finish it and said, ‘Tapusin mo nalang andito kana,’ and they forced me to just lay in bed, and then they became aggressive. I couldn’t fight anymore ’cause my body is kinda exhausted already since there are 3 of them,” Kieth added.

Unfortunately, Kieth wasn’t the only one who faced such a harrowing experience. His friends in the Alter community also had their share of bad encounters during meet-ups. Kieth said his friends didn’t report most of these incidents to the authorities to protect their identities and avoid being forced to ‘come out’ before they were ready.

Crimes rooted in online meetups

Agent Maria Contessa “Coco” D. Lastimoso, a special agent of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) specializing in cybercrime, also shared her perspective on heinous acts similar to those Kieth and his friends experienced.

She stated that cybercrimes involving sexual harassment among individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community are severely underreported because they might feel embarrassed or scared to report the incident.

“Deterrent na nila nga ‘ingun ana man gud ko’ [portraying to the gender identity of LGBTQIA+ individuals], culturally, siguro, dili pa gyud ta ingun ana ka open, nga if ako si LGBT mu complain ko…, ilang fear is ingnan sila og ‘merisi na nimo kay ingun ana man gud ka,” Lastimoso expressed in an interview with CDN Digital.

Nonetheless, Lastimoso strongly asserted that everyone has the right to be safe in cyberspace, regardless of gender identity. She highlighted Republic Act 11313, or the ‘Safe Spaces Act,’ enacted in 2019, which addresses all forms of gender-based sexual harassment in public spaces, educational institutions, workplaces, and even online.

Gender-based violence exists

During the interview, Lastimoso also highlighted the existence of gender-based violence (GBV), explaining that it involves targeting individuals with violence because of their gender.

“Naa gyuy gender-based violence, mao bitaw na nga gi craft ang Safe Spaces Act in order nga ma cover ang tanan whatever your sexual preference is, underreported lang gyud na sya. Ang akoa lang gyud, as an investigator, I believe nga daghan gyud na sila,” Lastimoso added.

“Gender-based online sexual harassment includes acts that use information and communications technology in terrorizing and intimidating victims through physical, psychological, and emotional threats, unwanted sexual misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic and sexist remarks and comments online whether publicly or through direct and private messages, invasion of victim’s privacy through cyberstalking and incessant messaging, uploading and sharing without the consent of the victim, any form of media that contains photos, voice, or video with sexual content, any unauthorized recording and sharing of any of the victim’s photos, videos, or any information online,” part of article 2, section 12 of the Safe Spaces Act reads.

Tips when meeting up with strangers

In today’s age, it’s common to meet people online. Agent Lastimoso has shared tips to help those arranging meet-ups avoid potential threats.

1. “Due diligence; kinsa man gyud imong ka storya?”
2. Make sure you try video-calling that individual before meeting them in person.
3. Inform two of your closest friends of your whereabouts.
4. If you’re an iPhone user, always ensure your FindMy option is on.
5. During the first meet-ups, meet them halfway between your city and theirs, and ensure that the meetup place is public so that you’re not isolated.
6. Consider a red flag if they ask for money even though you haven’t met them in person yet.
7. Do not make haste; Relationships take time to build.

Self-awareness

Keith, despite the fame and the sexual freedom he is currently experiencing on X and Telegram, shares a message of caution for LGBTQIA+ community members who also navigate the Alter Community on X.

He emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and knowing when to establish and enforce boundaries.

“If you know how to get in, you also know how to get out. Before exploring this ‘alter’ world, be ready for the consequences and its pros and cons. Don’t be consumed by your ‘Alternate Persona’,” he said.

Paying respect

In the Philippines, where many people are conservative about topics like sexuality, talking about “being gay” can be tough. But as much as some people fail to acknowledge, things are indeed changing.

As a message to individuals belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, Kieth wants to acknowledge those who came before them and were strong enough to stand up, allowing today’s generation to experience the openness they now enjoy.

“I just want to congratulate all the queer people and our allies that we have come so far. Let’s (respect) those who came before us for not giving up. (We) must always uphold (our) values so we can be respected by one another. DON’T LET OUR COLOR FADE AWAY 🏳️‍🌈.”

May this month of June envelop you in the most liberating embrace, ka-Siloys. Happy Pride!

 

/clorenciana

Read more...