Top Twitch streamer Ludwig calls out ‘pathetic’ transphobes after learning of trans viewer’s death
Ludwig blasted transphobic politicians in an emotional rant. (YouTube)
Ludwig blasted transphobic politicians in an emotional rant. (YouTube)
Twitch live streamer Ludwig Ahgren called out ‘pathetic’ transphobic politicians in an emotionally charged livestream after discovering a trans viewer and pillar of his fanbase passed away earlier this month.
The 30-year-old influencer discovered during a Halo world championships livestream that KanaBana, a fellow streamer and one of his longest-term viewers, had died.
The trans streamer had been watching Ludwig’s content as far back as 2013 when his livestreams often had fewer than a handful of viewers, and continued to support him throughout his award-winning career.
11-minutes into the late October stream, Ludwig saw a chat message saying ‘RIP KanaBana’, saying : “Are you f**king with me? Or did KanaBana just change her name?”
Streamer Ludwig Ahgren. (Getty)
After sitting in silence for several minutes, the now visibly emotional streamer said she was “one of my most OG viewers … I think she watched during like, one of my first years ever.”
He then switched off the live feed of his webcam and, after 10-minutes, returned to viewers saying he needed to process the news.
“It’s such a f**king stupid focal point of politics”
“It’s tough living on Earth,” he said, “But it is also a gunshot reminder, like, how extremely difficult it is, especially now if you’re trans. That s**t is, like, New Game plus plus plus [a game mechanic which intentionally makes a video game more challenging].
“I feel like it’s such a callousness towards the livelihoods of people who just want to live their life. It’s such a f**king stupid focal point of politics, literally just to try and build a base to get elected. Like there’s literally no other reason. It is like the most pathetic part of the resurgence of right-wing politics.”
Ludwig honoured KanaBana’s memory in a post on X/Twitter on Thursday (13 November).
“A couple weeks ago I found out one my oldest viewers passed away,” Ludwig wrote. “She started following when I had 100 viewers.
“She was super active in chat, funny, and helped turn my goofy dream of being a streamer into a full-fledged career.”
Ludwig added that, as a trans woman, she often said his fan community was “one of the few places she felt comfortable expressing that in.”
He said, in her memory, he plans to do a charity livestream, which will raise funds for the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ+ suicide prevention charity based in the US.
“[Thank you] to anyone who tunes in or donates,” he continued. “RIP KanaBana.”
