Derry, Northern Ireland

Derry, Northern Ireland
A book I'm working on is set in this town.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

YouTube advances homophobia


This video of two men kissing -- nothing else, just kissing -- has been flagged as adult by YouTube. Men and women kissing? Anybody can watch. Videos of violence or stupid stunts gone wrong where people get hurt? Anybody can watch. Clips of rape and murder and mayhem from movies and TV shows? Anybody can watch. Religious freaks from the various churches condemning gays and nut-cases threatening to shoot people and overthrow the government? Anybody can watch. But GOD FORBID someone be allowed to happen onto a pair of two fags in love. That might bring about the end of civilization as we know it.

Now maybe this isn't all that big a deal to most people. So what if YouTube puts up an advisory on the video? Who cares? It's not like they're refusing to let you see it.

But considering the explosion of homophobia around the world, from Iraq and Iran to Russia and countries in South America and African nations setting out laws to kill gay men and women, what YouTube is doing is, tacitly. agreeing with them that homosexuality is wrong and bad and must be treated differently. That is the wrong message to send. Period.

I've told them this. Will anyone else?

UPDATE: To be clear, the only way you can let YouTube know how you feel is to send them "feedback." There's a link at the bottom of the page which opens a three-step form. Go into "About YouTube" and that offers a link to "contact us".

Also -- here's YouTube's Address and phone number --

YouTube, LLC
901 Cherry Ave.
San Bruno, CA 94066
USA
Phone: +1 650-253-0000
Fax: +1 650-253-0001
And a LOT of the comments on the video's page are telling YouTube there was no need to flag this video.

1 comment:

JamTheCat said...

Totally. Just to be insistent, I even wrote them a letter and sent it snail mail.