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Does Google Discriminate Against Gay Bloggers?

scottbanned.jpg
We’re not sure what’s going on out there, but Scott from Scott-O-Rama sent us an email informing us that no less than eight gay blogs had been removed from internet giant Google’s Adsense – the service that places context-friendly ads on people’s websites.

It seems young Scott found himself banned due to his somewhat suggestive content. He writes:

I received the e-mail from Google about two weeks ago advising me that I had violated the AdSense Terms of Service (TOS) because my site contained adult or mature content. I thought they were referring to content on The Eye Candy Albums until I realized I wasn’t displaying Google ads over there. I was using a different ad provider on those pages.

I wrote back to Google and asked them to please elaborate on my violation of the TOS. I also pleaded with them to reconsider their decision. A couple of days later I received their reply. The “adult content” they were referring to was the Eye Candy Mondays posts as well as an ad I have to my Amazon.com affiliate store (pictured)…They told me I would have to remove all that content to even be considered for reinstatement.

Scott would have no problem complying, if it weren’t for a number of hetero-sites that apparently violate the TOS, but have yet to be reprimanded. He’s found a small group of other banned bloggers and wants to know, dear reader, if you guys know of any other gay blogs that have been banned.

What’s interesting about Google’s apparent interest in so-called decency is that it takes less than five seconds to find pictures of myriad sex acts in their image archives. But, you know the saying, do as I say, not as I doogle.

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By:           Andrew Belonksy
On:           Jan 24, 2007
Tagged: , , ,
4 Comments

No. 1 · David M

I posted a question related to this issue on Google’s “Google Webmaster Help>Discussions> General Internet Issues”.

Does anyone know another way I can make a more formal complaint to Google?

Posted: Jan 24, 2007 at 10:14 am · @ReplyReply to this comment · [Flag?]
No. 2 · Ian D. Stewart

video.google.com seems to be a treasure trove of sorts for the ex-gay movement. A search for ‘gay’ returns such beauts as a gay bashing in Belgrade, “Evangelism 101: How to Witness to Someone Who is Gay” and “Gay No More”

Will have to check out Blip TV

Posted: Jan 24, 2007 at 2:04 pm · @ReplyReply to this comment · [Flag?]
No. 3 · Scott-O-Rama

Thank you for putting this on your site. I’ve heard from even more gay bloggers who said that they have also had trouble with Google’s AdSense. If this has happened to you, please let me know. I am trying to get an official response from Google.

Posted: Jan 24, 2007 at 2:14 pm · @ReplyReply to this comment · [Flag?]
No. 4 · Andrew

That’s fucked up. I’m glad you posted this, Queerty…. hopefully Scott-O-Rama has been successful in getting other gay media outlets to publish the story as well.

Posted: Jan 24, 2007 at 10:29 pm · @ReplyReply to this comment · [Flag?]

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