Fitness company Peloton blocked the hashtag #LetsGoBrandon after users added it to their profiles.
The company says the phrase violates its terms of service which prohibit "hateful, offensive, or obscene speech.”
"This includes any leaderboard names, locations, profile pictures, Tags or any other User Content that promotes, relates to, or condones lack of respect, discrimination, or violence of any kind against individuals or groups based on age, ethnicity/culture, race, nationality, immigration status, disability status, physical ability, gender or gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, religion, veteran status, body shape, socio-economic status, or political affiliation,” according to the company's guidelines.
Tags are a way for “members to connect with one another through shared interests or identity and make the in and out of class experience feel more personal and relevant.” The feature, which was introduced in 2020, lets Peloton users create a new or existing tag and even take a class with a group filtered by tag.
“Peloton is a progressive company,” writes PJ Media. “Earlier this year, it was reported that Peloton employees were allegedly forced to take social justice training inspired by critical race theory. Peloton routinely virtue signals its wokeness, offering LGBTQ pride rides and selling pride-themed apparel. They celebrate Latinx Heritage Month, not Hispanic Heritage Month or Latin Heritage Month, even though the community doesn’t even use Latinx to describe itself.”
The company has also banned the tags #StopTheSteal, #TrumpWon and #AllLiveMatter.
While not explicitly hateful, offensive, or obscene, the phrase "Let’s Go Brandon" became a euphemism for “F--- Joe Biden” after a reporter suggested the crowd at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama on Oct. 2 was cheering for NASCAR driver Brandon Brown.
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Peloton said:
"[We welcome] members from all walks of life to represent themselves through their Tags or by having thoughtful conversations in our groups. However, we have a zero tolerance policy against divisive, explicit, or other content that violates our policies. We actively moderate our channels and have removed Tags that span the political spectrum, while still allowing Members to express themselves using Tags like #WomenForTrump."
The tag #ImpeachJoeBiden has not been removed from the platform.
