Twitter Yanks Westboro Baptist Church's Account

Twitter has suspended the main account of the radically anti-LGBT hate group the Westboro Baptist Church as well as that of its leader, Shirley Phelps-Roeper.

U.K.-based Pink News noticed the account was pulled as of Tuesday and announced it on Twitter that day. Phelps-Roeper, from a new account, claimed it was because the WBC picketed Twitter in August.

Twitter has not responded to The Advocate's request for comment or to verify Phelps-Roeper's claim.

Late last year the social media giant improved its guidelines for reporting abuse and harassment among users, after high-profile threats and harassment campaigns like Gamergate, which targeted many people, particularly women, voicing challenges to a misogynist gaming community. Previously, Twitter had been criticized for not stepping in to stop harassment, and the former system for reporting harassment was not viewed as consistently effective.