Natalia “Alinity” Mogollon’s treatment of her pets is under the spotlight — as is the treatment of women gamers.

When contacted for comment about the incidents with her animals, Mogollon pointed BuzzFeed News to tweets she wrote last week in which she apologized for her “lapses of judgment.”

Hey everyone, I understand the concern and I am sorry for my lapses in judgement. I shouldnt have gotten frustrated with Milo, but I dropped him on the floor behind my chair. I'm not that strong :P . The Vodka thing was well over a year ago but it was also a stupid thing to do.

It’s important to note that some of the concern about Mogollon’s animals appears to be genuine. The vodka incident, in particular, has disturbed many people. But the controversy and outrage is also being amplified by anti-women gamers and is evocative of the vitriolic sexist abuse that many women on the platforms are subjected to. It’s also shone a light on the messy gender politics in these spaces. While some popular women users on Twitch have spoken out against Alinity, much of the effort was first led by male gamers who believe that she’s being granted special favors because of her sex.

Since the uproar began, she’s also been subjected to an avalanche of sexist criticism and has said she’s even been doxed. People have also called Canadian animal welfare officials to investigate Mogollon, while numerous campaigns are being waged to get her permanently banned from Twitch. The result has been all-out social media dystopian warfare, not unlike Apex Legends, the game Mogollon was playing when she was filmed tossing her cat.

In today's clown news, @AlinityTwitch throwing her cat on stream. Nothing justifies tossing an animal like this, but even so, she wasn't even in a gunfight. Makes you really question what Twitch looks for in partners. #Alinity

Last week, the cat-throwing moment was caught, recorded, clipped, and shared across Twitch and then on Twitter, where it went massively viral. It was then picked up by gamer blogs, and the actions depicted in the six-second clip were labeled “abuse.” Big gaming personalities like Keemstar, a huge and controversial YouTuber who closely covers gaming drama, picked it up and began waging a personal effort to have her banned from Twitch. “And now she threw a cat over her head! If a man did this perma ban!” he first wrote, later tweeting, “WHY DOES TWITCH ONLY BAN MEN????” Ian Miles Cheong — a gaming writer, Twitter personality, and contributor to the right-wing website Daily Caller, and an editor at the ultraconservative news site Human Events — was one of the first to amplify the narrative that “Alinity is an animal abuser.”

Alinity is an animal abuser. You okay with this @TwitchSupport? @peta

He then tweeted at @Twitch and @PETA on Friday to get their attention. Tagging PETA worked, as the animal rights activists soon issued a tweet urging Twitch to ban her for alleged animal abuse. The Saskatoon Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals then announced that “a formal cruelty complaint regarding this matter has been filed” and that it is investigating the matter. (BuzzFeed News has reached out to Saskatoon SPCA to learn more.) After the recent clip of her throwing her cat successfully became viral, other gamers began sharing the older clips of Mogollon’s treatment of her other pets. The clips have sparked a debate about whether her actions endangered her animals. Some are adamant that tossing a cat in the manner she did is perfectly fine, while others believe it’s not OK. Most, however, agree that giving vodka to her cat is dangerous behavior. Mogollon has insisted her animals are “well loved” and that she would cooperate with any animal welfare investigation. She also claimed she has called the SPCA to conduct a wellness check on her pets to prove that they’re not being abused. (She declined to comment any further on the matter to BuzzFeed News.)

I also understand the desire to report me to pet authorities and encourage anyone to do so if they feel pets are being mistreated, by anyone, anywhere. My animals are well loved, and live in a warm and caring home, and I will comply with any authority that seeks to validate this.

But the entire messy affair is now being held up by male gamers as evidence that they are being unfairly treated by gaming regulators compared to women. A massive Change.org petition was created to call attention to the supposed double standard from Twitch. It’s been signed by more than 25,000 people. Keemstar has also claimed to his 2 million Twitter followers that Mogollon receives “special favoritism” because of her gender. (Twitch has not yet responded to numerous requests for comment from BuzzFeed News.) All this has also sparked its own rash of sexist abuse against Mogollon. “I’m wondering how many bj’s this cost,” a user tweeted at her; “Alinity be sucking some mad D at the HQ ?” someone else quipped. A popular member of FaZe Clan, an online e-gamer society, called her a “stupid bitch,” and numerous NSFW memes have been created about why she’s not yet banned.

@KEEMSTAR @twitch like giant titties that they cant get lol xD @KEEMSTAR U know it true IT DAMN TRUE !

@KEEMSTAR @AlinityTwitch This fits perfectly

@KEEMSTAR @AlinityTwitch Take the animals and the visa from that thot and send her back to Colombia. In another life she might appreciate what she had.

@KEEMSTAR @AlinityTwitch @pewdiepie was correct, you are a thot 😂

On Reddit, Mogollon has once again been dubbed a “stupid Twitch thot” — the same slur PewDiePie used last year. Mogollon claims that the online abuse has even spilled over into the real world. “Please stop coming to my house and asking my neighbours where I am,” she wrote Sunday. “Its [sic] actually really scary.” Amid the trolling replies telling her the people coming to her house were deportation officials or animal welfare officers, it appeared at least a few users seemed to think the whole drama had gone too far.

@AlinityTwitch jesus christ these people in the comments are horrible. guys she’s human too okay? she made a mistake. i’m not saying what she did was right, but just take a moment to realize she’s only human

@AlinityTwitch Yea sucks that this happened to you....from what I have seen your not a bad person but all the animal lovers are after you lol...I am an animal lover myself but I feel bad that your getting bullied like this