This just in: Scruff just banned photos of jockstraps, underwear, bikini style swimsuits, or crotch shots.
Crazy, right?!
But before you get too up in arms, you should know it’s not the app’s fault. It’s the app store distributors who apparently find gay men in sexy underwear offensive.
Last week, Scruff users began receiving a pop-up informing them: “Profile photo guidelines are changing. To comply with platform policies, photos in underwear, jockstraps or bikini style bathing suits are no longer permitted in profile photos.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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Craigslist. Backpage. Tumblr. Now even @scruffapp, a gay dating app you have to be of consenting age to use, is censoring how it's users can post photos?
This isn't lookin so good guys… #sesta #fosta pic.twitter.com/w8UjOUEjqX
— PupAmp (@PupAmp) January 24, 2019
CEO Eric Silverberg tells Out that Scruff’s new policy is to comply with the policies of app stores that host the app.
“Our change is meant to align our content standards with the evolving content standards of our app store distributors,” he says.
Grindr has also issued a similar ban.
Luckily, the policy only applies to public profile photos. So you can still share your jockstrap pics and crotch shots in private albums and chats.
Silverberg adds that the new policy is not in response to SESTA or FOSTA, laws supposedly designed to crack down on online sex trafficking but which have curiously resulted in many online queer spaces being censored. Most recently, Tumblr issued a ban on all porn. Before that, Craigslist did away with its personals pages.
“Given that Scruff is a community that speaks openly and positively about sex, bodies, and intimacy, some feel that such policies are at odds with those values,” Silverberg says.
“Such criticism is not unfounded. Scruff respects the concerns voiced by our community on this matter, and we encourage everyone to continue to hold us and all tech companies, accountable for the content and conduct standards we enforce.”
Related: Is Scruff’s war on sexual racism all talk and no tackle?
Brian
Since the apps outcompeted the websites like PlanetOut or Manhunt, there aren’t great alternatives left. Sure, meeting in the real world is ideal, but that’s not feasible for people in rural areas or even some suburbs. Sad.
RIGay
I always just a man by the stock photo of a well-packed jock-strap! I mean… really!
What IS this world coming to!
HereIAm
Unless you are a professional athletes, who else wears the outlandish jock straps these days and for what? I am glad the site owners are finally doing something to make their web sites more decent and appropriate.
Wicked Dickie
@HereIAm, no one asked you if non-athletes should wear jockstraps. Jockstraps are comfy, sexy, and feel good, you prude.
QueerTruth
HEREIAM
Dude go away. You’re nothing but a toxic troll. You have nothing to add. Why do you spend you’re free time on a gay page if you don’t like us?
Sick in the head you are.
1898
it’s much ado about nothing. scruff is not enforcing its new “rules”. go on there and you will see all of the photos they claim are no longer allowed
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Slowly but surely the right wing nut bag smcubags are seeing progress in their campaign to erode the signicant gains our community has made on the past 20 years….
They have found ways to deny our rights and freedoms under the twin false umbrellas of “religious freedom” and “sex trafficking”…..
Vince
I just came to the comments to find out if I should be outraged by this. Hmm..
Bob LaBlah
Tumblr is now more a less a third arm of Disney. I’m pretty sure thoughts of hiring a lobbyist are now going thru ol’ Andrew Christian’s mind.
laidbackdude69
They can blame whomever they like. But I’d like to point out that although the apps are free, seeing private pictures is not. That requires an upgrade in membership. And who stands to profit from this censorship?
ohiogreg
They need to ban dick pics.
mountainmaat
da fuq? what are you an anti-dick ?
Prax07
It’s because of Apple and it’s moronic policies about keeping adult content off its shitty appstore. Tumblr did it to appease Apple, now these other apps are falling in line too. Don’t like it then complain to Apple.
1898
first of all, scruff is not enforcing this at all
second, if this app store stuff is true, how come instagram never got pulled from the app store? you can find all of those types of images on instagram
seems like much ado about nothing
Godabed
Those poor closet cases can still leave the photo blank or show their chest or abs, they still have that going for them.
FinallyCanuck
How about they just pull the app from the App Store and build an outstanding mobile browser experience?
1898
it doesn’t seem like they’re enforcing this at all. i just opened scruff and grindr, and on both apps i saw dozens of “jockstraps, underwear, bikini style swimsuits, or crotch shots” in main profile photos