Tumblr is banning porn, and users are devastated

Tumblr has announced that it will ban adult content, including porn videos and photos, starting on December 17.

The policy, which will prohibit “photos, videos, or GIFs that show real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples,” is expected to deeply affect many queer folk on Tumblr who use the platform as a safe space to post and view LGBT+ adult content.

The site, which faced outrage from the LGBT+ community last year when it was revealed that its new safe mode blocked LGBT+ content, has taken the step following the removal of Tumblr’s app from Apple’s iOS App Store after child porn was discovered on the service.

In its new guidelines, Tumblr stated that the new rules will apply to all users, “regardless of how old you are.”

Exceptions to Tumblr’s new adult content rule

Tumblr is seemingly attempting to avoid discriminating against women and LGBT+ people by stating that the changes will not affect “exposed female-presenting nipples in connection with breastfeeding” as well as “birth or after-birth moments.”

The company, which has previously provided an online safe haven for many in the queer community, has also specified that the new rules don’t include “health-related situations, such as post-mastectomy or gender confirmation surgery.

“Bottom line: There are no shortage of sites on the internet that feature adult content. We will leave it to them”

— Jeff D’Onofrio

“Written content such as erotica, nudity related to political or newsworthy speech, and nudity found in art, such as sculptures and illustrations, are also stuff that can be freely posted on Tumblr,” the guidelines explain.

In a Tumblr post, the company’s CEO Jeff D’Onofrio told users that the ban was meant to ensure the platform would be “a safe place for creative expression, self-discovery, and a deep sense of community.

“As Tumblr continues to grow and evolve, and our understanding of our impact on our world becomes clearer, we have a responsibility to consider that impact across different age groups, demographics, cultures, and mindsets,” he added.

D’Onofrio wrote that the new guidelines would increase, not reduce the number of people who saw Tumblr as a place where they and their content could find a home.

“We spent considerable time weighing the pros and cons of expression in the community that includes adult content,” he said.

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