Facebook, which owns the Instagram platform has apologised after numerous images, which complied with its nudity policies were removed from The Naked Rugby Player’s profile.
The two pictures in question featured no actual nudity and were cropped inline with Instagram’s no genital policy.
“We’re sorry for this mistake.”
(C) FACEBOOK
Speaking to THEGAYUK.com, a spokesperson for Facebook said, “Every day we’re inspired by the millions of people using our platforms to connect with, and raise money for, meaningful causes. This content was removed in error and has now been restored. We’re sorry for this mistake.”
The Naked Rugby Players have released a calendar every year since 2018 with the aim of raising money for Balls To Cancer and LGBT+ Inclusive Rugby Clubs.
An account by The Naked Rugby Players, which aims to raise awareness of male cancers and body positivity, on the Facebook-owned Instagram platform has been threatened with removal after it uploaded two pictures from its 2020 calendar featuring the LGBT+ Rugby club, Chester Centurions.
The two pictures in question featured no actual nudity and were cropped inline with Instagram’s no genital policy.
This isn’t the first time that Instagram has pulled, censored, deleted or threatened to delete an account over pictures of nearly naked men or men that are naked but have their genitals covered.
Screenshots shared by The Naked Rugby Players seen by THEGAYUK show that the account holders weren’t even permitted to lodge an appeal with Instagram and told that because there are fewer reviewers due to the coronavirus outbreak, one of the largest companies in the world, Facebook, wouldn’t be able to review the post.
The two images in question complied with Instagram’s “Nudity or sexual activity guideline” and did not show genitals, or “close-up of fully-nude buttocks”.
In fact take a look at them here.
Fans were quick to defend the calendar and accused Instagram of being “prudish” and “ridiculous” and that their deletion of images of men happened all too often.
We have reported that Instagram has blocked numerous gay male accounts for images that it says breaks its policies, such as porn star Brent Everett, meat Magazine, Celebrity Master Chef winner Riyadh Khalaf however, it seemingly has set a double standard, by allowing singer Lizzo and Kim Kardashian to keep, to name a couple, fully nude pictures published on the platform.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGj9jJcFEEc/
After THEGAYUK.com reached out to Instagram for comment on the picture removals, the two posts in question were restored as well as a number of other pictures which had been deleted by the social network in the past.
Facebook told THEGAYUK that it’s ‘investigating’ the issue.
Riyadh Khalaf has sent fans into a frenzy with his topless pictures, although it seems that the Instagram censors have been out in force after pictures of the star in his speedos were removed.
The Celebrity Masterchef winner, Riyadh Khalaf, has posed for a series of topless pictures, which have melted the hearts of his fans.
Although a few of his followers made comments about the star’s previous more racy speedo picture going missing from the platform. One commented, “The ridiculous state of Insta when you can’t post a selfie in Speedos”, to which Riyadh replied, “Thank you”.
Another asked, “Anyone has the previous post screenshot? ??”
And another added, “Now I’m curious what I’m missing out on from the first post…”
Instagram censorship
Instagram has a history of censoring gay and male bodies. Previously we have reported that numerous celebrities and campaigns have been removed or banned outright by the Facebook-owned picture platform. It still, however, permits some women, most notably Kim Kardashian and Lizzo to publish nude pictures.
Posting to his 97,900 fans on Instagram the best selling author and podcast presenter, posed for a series of photos, while on holiday on the Greek island of Santorini.
The star wrote, “Needed this. Being still, mindful and letting the ‘noise’ die down.
“This island is nothing short of spectacular! Would recommend if you’re looking for a chilled getaway with amazing food and clear blue waters. Not to mention the view from the highest point on the island from our villa @santoriniskygreece
The picture-sharing platform, Instagram, has allowed numerous stars, like Lizzo and Kim Kardashian to upload completely nude pictures while gay porn stars and LGBT+ body-positive organisations have their pictures removed and accounts cancelled.
There seems to be one rule for some and another for everyone else. Over the years we’ve reported countless times where Instagram and Facebook (which owns Instagram) have deleted, cancelled or suspended pictures and people it deems to break its community guidelines.
However, in the latest show of its double standards, between some famous women (such as Kim Kardashian) and LGBT+ folx, Instagram has allowed nude pictures, taken by singer Lizzo to remain on its service.
The pictures which were uploaded on the 1st of December have garnered over 1 million likes on the social media platform with thousands and thousands of comments.
Instagram recently came under fire after it deleted a picture featuring a wet – but (semi) clothed Jason Derulo, with a peen outline. He was wearing underwear… no nudity at all.
Earlier this year porn star Brent Everett hit out at Instagram after it removed a picture of him in the nude and a report that we ran on the removal of said picture had THEGAYUK’s official Facebook page’s moderators banned from the platform for 30 days.
With the announcement of Facebook’s new sexual content policy, we look at other internet platforms that have banned adult content.
It was revealed last month that Facebook’s new sexual solicitation policy was hitting right at the heart of sexual interactions between people. Many critics believe that the move will hurt the LGBT+ community the most with the shocking revelation that people will no longer be able to discuss their preferred sexual roles, such as whether they are tops or bottoms. [expander_maker]
But Facebook isn’t the first.
Scruff, the gay dating app has had to ban various photos from being shown as profile pictures, including any pictures of guys in jockstraps, pictures with pubic hair on show or pictures which are sexual in nature.
Grindr, also operates a similar photo policy.
Instagram Users have long blasted the service for deleting their content. In 2018 gay pin-up magazine Meat‘s account was deleted twice, various celebs have hit out saying that the Facebook-owned entity had banned or blocked content.
Tumblr Earlier in December blogging site, Tumblr announced that it was going to remove all adult content. It is believed that Apple forced the company to make the policy when it temporarily kicked the blogging site from its app store.
Craigslist shut down its personals listings, 2018 after US Congress passed a Sex Trafficking Bill. The personals had run since 1995. The Bill could subject websites found to be unknowingly hosting ads for sex trafficking to criminal and civil liabilities. As a result, Craigslist made the decision to remove all the personals from its site, saying, “Any tool or service can be misused. We can’t take such risk without jeopardizing all our other services, so we are regretfully taking craigslist personals offline”.
Google Drive Sex workers have allegedly seen files deleted or removed from their Google Drives. Numerous adult performers and sex workers have found that content hosted on Google Drive was no longer accessible. The service does have a policy which bans the hosting of “sexually explicit or pornographic images or videos”.
Patreon, a payment collection site for content creators starting banning adult performers because its payment partners, Stripe and PayPal were refusing service.
Reddit has banned all sex-work groups and in 2007 LiveJournal made headlines after removing a picture of a mother breastfeeding saying it went against their content policy.
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Once again Instagram deletes another account which depicts the nude male body.
Yesterday it was reported that the world’s biggest picture sharing site, Instagram, had banned Meat‘s latest account – which at the last count had garnered 5000 fans, the previous one, (yes they’ve had two banned) had 15,000 fans. What was their crime? Allegedly falling foul to that cardinal sin… displaying naked men. Okay, you say, it’s right there in the community guidelines, “no nudity” however these pictures had a whopping great modesty circle in front of anything that might be even slightly racy.
This isn’t the first time that the Facebook-owned company has deleted pictures of the male form. In the past, it has deleted the Warwick Rowers and in August it deleted Greeks Come True. There was not one penis on show. These are beautifully crafted pictures of men, who yes, are naked, but where you cannot see anything that would give you tingles downstairs. Pornographic? No. Homoerotics, hell yes, but there’s a huge difference between porn and eroticism.
Meat is different though. It’s a breath of fresh air – the guys portrayed are unphotoshopped, average bodies. It shows that even when you don’t have a six-pack you can still appear on the front of a magazine or calendar.
Recently THEGAYUK.com polled over 300 of its Twitter readers about whether they were comfortable being naked in the presence of other people. Over half of us answered in the negative. Over a half of us are awkward about our natural state why is that?
And I’m not hating on you six-packers. Hey, the true is I’m jealous. Aren’t we all a bit envious of those who can obtain and maintain a single digit body fat percentage? But I will just never be that guy.
“The thought that I was fat kept me in a perpetual state of eat, feel guilty, purge and workout”
I have always struggled with my own perception of my weight. The thought that I was fat kept me in a perpetual state of eat, feel guilty, purge and workout. At one point, in my attempt to have what I thought was a “good body” I would throw up everything I ate and go to the gym twice a day. Needless to say, despite being, what I now see as thin I could only see body rolls. Even now, over a decade on, I still find myself with fingers down my throat with “WTF are you doing” going round and round in my head.
What was / is the cause of my insecurity and clearly a huge majority of us?
I’m not going to sit here and solely blame the media because I’m part of it (there’s my disclosure). I’m very aware of the pressures upon us in the media to get clicks, to shift copies, to adhere to the old adage that sex sell, or at the very least the notion of what sexy is – sells. We’ve been accused in the past of posting only certain types of male images – but let me tell you, I see the analytics and despite the protestations from some audience members, pictures of different bodies just don’t fly. Why is that?
For the record, I’m not audience blaming either.
Have we all been programmed so hard to only see slim, white, blonde boys as sexy? Perhaps it’s time for all of us to shift the view of what is sexy.
That’s why I love the idea behind Meat and the Naked Rugby Players and even Channel 4’s controversial dating show, Naked Attraction. They are showing that the typical body is beautiful. Bellies, love handles and hair here and there is normal and wonderful.
The likes of Meat and Naked Rugby Players (above) are changing the game.
“We’re bombarded with images that prod at the subconscious saying “you’re not thin enough” and we’ve got to change the narrative.”
Body positivity is a hot topic right now and it should be. If over half of us aren’t happy with our naked bodies there’s something not right. There is a strong link between our bodies and our mental health. Many of us are on endless diets and we aren’t just yo-yoing on weight. We’re playing games with our mental health each and everytime we step on those scales.
We’re bombarded with images that prod at the subconscious saying “you’re not thin enough” and we’ve got to change the narrative. We’ve got to expose ourselves to different standards of beauty. We’ve got to relearn that our normal, unretouched, imperfect bodies are actually perfect – and platforms like Instagram have to start playing their part.
Meat magazine has found itself falling foul of Instagram‘s “puritanical censorship” rules on nudity, despite not showing any genitals or exposed buttocks. The magazine, which also prints a calendar has not one but two of its accounts removed by the picture sharing site.
Meat‘s first Instagram account had amassed over 15,000 fans when it was erased by the Facebook-owned company and the second account had 4000 fans.
Speaking to THEGAYUK.com the magazine’s owner, Adrian said, “Meat‘s mission is to champion body positivity amongst gay men, in a community where many often feel sidelined by ‘stereotypical’ male beauty standards. The zine allows our followers and fans to celebrate and own their unique beauty, no matter their age, race, body shape or type.”
Instagram has proved an essential part of promoting Meat‘s body-positive message to gay, bi and curious men across the globe. Adrian added, “Instagram doesn’t just help to promote the magazine, it allows our fans a space to see themselves as others see them, and to share and spread Meat‘s message of body positivity for all”.
The pictures shared by Meat on its last account showed men, who though undressed, were not naked – due to the huge modesty circle on top of the genital area.
The pictures that apparently failed Instagram’s nudity test.The pictures that apparently failed Instagram’s nudity test.
However, in stark contrast Kim Kardashian has posted several fully nude pictures of herself – obtaining millions of likes and the platform has taken no action against the account.
The pictures that apparently failed Instagram’s nudity test.
The magazine has now created a new account and added even more heavily edited pictures so as to not fall foul of Instagram’s nudity rules.
In a post entitled “Dear Instagram, This Isn’t Sexual” Rain sets out to explain why the social media giant’s ban of female nipples is wrong. Speaking directly to IG, Rain wrote:
Sure, I may have my DD Breasts out. Nipples shining in the sun. But this is simply a game of basketball between two humans. One of those humans is actually a Pro Basketball player (@crissa_ace ) – who’s skills on the court are far more worthy of a stare than my swinging sacks of potential food providing flesh. But before You delete my IG POST let me DD-fend myself:
#1: Your guidelines say “Female nipples”. I do not identify as “female”. Or “male”. So I am not violating your guidelines. #2 Even if I did identify as “Female”- “Females” can have Pecs. “Males” can have Breasts. And if You argue only people with pecs are considered “Male” bodied- Pecs can be bigger than Breasts and vice versa. Both can also lactate. Both can also be fetishized. What’s so different? #3 What is considered “nudity” or “naked” changes culturally globally. In some places eye contact direct to camera is considered sexual. Showing your shoulders is considered lewd. Hugs are considered worse than kisses. Etc. Aren’t you a globally reaching company? Who’s opinion is controlling what is considered sexual? Can we have a chat one on one?
I wouldn’t have had much of a chance at my career without my IG platform. I’m grateful for this app and what it has done to elevate my opportunities in life. I’m coming TO You. Not AT You. Please consider reviewing the language You use in your guidelines. Either make it so NO one can show their nipples or everyone can. You’re creating a division that’s reinforcing the vulnerable feelings people with breasts already feel. Fear, shame, objectification. Stop targeting “females” specifically. Instead might I recommend addressing INTENTIONS- equally. It’s kind of obvious when someone is creating work with specifically salacious intention. A shirt off is not enough for a conviction. You reach around the world IG. Therefore you can change it- simply by hanging your language. LOVE ALWAYS, Rain Dove
He’s probably one of the most famous people on the Internet at the moment. Christopher Wylie, the gay whistleblower at the centre of the Facebook / Cambridge Analytica data scandal has shared that his Facebook and Facebook-owned Instagram accounts have been disabled “for violating” their terms.
According to sources, Facebook has apparently demanded to inspect Wylie’s phone a requested to which he replied, “What do they want? To look through my dick pics?”
BREAKING: Facebook demanding to inspect Cambridge Analytica whistleblower @chrisinsilco’s computer & phone. “What do they want? To look through my dick pics?”
Well, he recently uploaded another picture featuring underwear from the @raphaelwear underwear range and the picture was removed within hours. He even commented that he thought the social media platform would remove the picture even though there was no nudity or pornography in the picture.
So what was the offending picture?
CREDIT: David McIntosh / Instagram
Speaking to THEGAYUK.com David admitted that he was “heartbroken” that Insta bosses kept removing his pictures and that he “couldn’t deal with this prejudice from Instagram”.
Say goodbye to the humble aubergine emoji on Instagram as the photo social network has now apparently blocked it because some say it symbolises the penis.
Those who have recently updated the software will have noticed that you can no longer search for posts using the aubergine emoji, because, according to Instagram, it violated community guidelines.
However the just as suggestive banana and peach are unaffected. When TheGayUK tried to search Instagram using the icon, “No tags found” was the result. However, you can still search for people using the naughty symbol.
Writing in a blog post, Instagram said:
“Over the past few years, emoji have become part of a universal visual language,” “And just as, we share photos and videos, we use emoji to communicate emotions and feelings in ways that anyone can understand, regardless of language or background”. “With emoji hashtags, you can discover even more by adding them to your own photos and videos, searching them on the Explore page and tapping on them when you see them in captions,”
