Amazon Labels All GLBT Titles as Adult

SEATTLE — Amazon.com's adult selection got a whole lot bigger over the weekend.

Word broke online that Amazon had started to systematically tag any and all titles that feature gay characters or GLBT themes as adult, thereby removing them from the website's lists of bestselling titles.

Amazon responded to the widespread criticism of the move, saying that it was a technical error.

"There was a glitch in our systems and it's being fixed," said Amazon's Patty Smith.

The fracas started when self-published author Mark Probst noticed that his gay-themed western novel "The Filly" had disappeared from Amazon's rankings. He asked about it, and Amazon told him, "In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude adult material from appearing in some searches and bestseller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature."

Probst found this especially puzzling because he wrote his novel for a young-adult audience. The Los Angeles Times broke the story, conducting research into what books do and do not appear on the site's bestseller lists.

According to the Times, these books (among others) have lost their spots on the list: "Running with Scissors" by Augusten Burroughs, "Maurice" by E.M. Forster and "Becoming a Man" by Paul Monette, winner of the 1992 National Book Award. Also excluded is Nathaniel Frank's nonfiction book "Unfriendly Fire," which criticizes the U.S. government's current policy against gays in the military.

Among the books that remain on the bestseller list are "Naked" by David Sedaris, "Tropic of Cancer" by Henry Miller, "American Psycho" by Bret Easton Ellis, along with "Playboy: Helmut Newton" and "Playboy: Six Decades of Centerfolds," "Naked Lunch" by William Burroughs, and "Incest: From 'A Journal of Love'" by Anais Nin.

The Times also noted that different editions of Jean-Dominque Bauby's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and E.M. Forster's "Maurice" appear on the bestsellers list, while other editions do not.

Amazon's actions have drawn swift and broad condemnation from the online community. Slate.com's Meghan O'Rourke criticized the company in a column titled "Sh-amazon."

"Now, to my mind, any censorship is bad censorship, so even if this action were limited to gay porn, I'd be deeply bothered by it," she wrote. "But to make matters even more complicated, so far Amazon's little project has affected not only books that might be deemed to have full-on adult content but also literary novels, memoirs and books of poetry that portray gay sex."

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Pineapple Support, Streamate to Host 'Navigating Grief and Loss' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Streamate are hosting a free online support group to help performers cope with grief and loss.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

New AV Rules Take Effect for Ireland-Based Sites

Ireland’s Online Safety Code came into force Monday, including a provision requiring adult sites headquartered in Ireland to implement age assurance measures beyond self-declaration.

XBIZ Amsterdam Calls on New Startups for 'Spotlight' Program

XBIZ is pleased to announce that its new “Startup Spotlight” programming will make its European premiere at XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, set to take place Sept. 2-5 at the Jakarta Hotel Amsterdam.

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

Show More