Blogger drops porn ban after liberal outcry

Last month, Blogger announced they were banning sexually explicit images and video from their site, and deleting blogs that carried such material. The ban on "sexually explicit or graphic nude images or video" was set to take place on March 23, but Blogger has reversed that decision, after a combination of porn enthusiasts, gay rights supporters, and liberal activists protested.

Google (which owns Blogger) had already banned porn in their ads, and the proposed ban on explicit content on Blogger wouldn't actually delete the content. Explicit content would be made private and inaccessible to the public without an invitation from the blog's author. Violet Blue of ZDNet lamented the decision, calling it "sex censorship" and saying the ban of sexually explicit content is prejudicial. "Homophobia, transphobia, and racism are alive and well today, and the backbone of these hideous things is censorship," she said. Blue also said the policy unfairly targeted those whose blogs Blogger labeled as "adult" already, including LGBT and 'outsider sexuality' diaries, erotic writers, transgender activists, sex toy reviewers, art nude photographers, sex news and porn gossip writers, LGBT sex activism, fetish fashion, and feminist porn blogs.

In a statement retracting the proposed policy change, Blogger seemed to acknowledge the outrage from the LGBT community, stating the recognized "the negative impact this could have on individuals who post sexually explicit content to express their identities."

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