Facebook has taken aim at the information you can share about yourself on its platform.
In a new policy move, Facebook has banned a raft of sexual details which you are no longer able to discuss about yourself on the platform. The policy which is named the “sexual solicitation” policy has been branded as “horrifying” by critics and it could adversely effect LGBT+ users on the platform.
Facebook’s new “sexual solicitation” policy is horrifying. It bans, among other things, erotic art (even non-explicit), talking about kink, talking about your boobs or butt, mentioning your preferences in sexual partners, “sexualized slang,” and “vague suggestive statements.”
— Uncanny Valley Girl (@alextemplemusic) December 5, 2018
The policy could potentially ban gay, bisexual and transgender users from discussing whether they are top or bottoms on the site as it seeks to ban “sexual hints such as (the) mention of sexual roles, positions or fetish scenarios”.
The platform says it is now “drawing a line” when any conversation leads to a “sexual encounter between adults”.
No nudes, no positions, no roles
It will also ban users from sending nude pictures to each other as the policy specifically bans “offering or asking for nude images”.
Facebook’s community standards says, “Do not post content that engages in implicit sexual solicitation, which can be identified by… using sexual hints such as mentioning sexual roles, sex positions, fetish scenarios, sexual preference/sexual partner preference, state of arousal, act of sexual intercourse or activity (sexual penetration or self-pleasuring), commonly sexualized areas of the body such as the breasts, groin, or buttocks, state of hygiene of genitalia or buttocks.”
The policy change comes just a day after blogging site Tumblr said it was going to remove all adult content from its site.
Global community is sensitive to this kind of content
One of the reasons Facebook has decided on the changes is because it says some in its “global community” may find the content “sensitive”. It also said that some users might find it hard to connect with their “friends and the broader community”.
Looking for a “good time” go somewhere else
Facebook is also banning suggestive elements such as saying that you’re “looking for a good time tonight”, you’ll also fall foul of the ban if you mention “sexual roles, sex positions, fetish scenarios, sexual preference/sexual partner preference, state of arousal, act of sexual intercourse or activity (sexual penetration or self-pleasuring), commonly sexualised areas of the body such as the breasts, groin or buttocks, state of hygiene of genitalia or buttocks”
What you can do
Well, THEGAYUK.com has a social network where you are welcome to upload and talk about whatever you want – as long as it’s legal. Join today for free.
The news team for THEGAYUK. Got tips? Go to www.thegayuk.com/newsdesk to tell us something.