NEW YORK — Before Sex Expo opens its doors this Saturday, members of the sexual health community partaking in America’s premier sex-life event will unite to take a stand against social media censorship.
Prior to the annual event’s start on Saturday morning, participants will gather outside the entrance to the Metropolitan Pavilion at 10 a.m. for a rally against censorship of sexual wellness-related posts in social media. Inspirational sex-positive speaker Lou Featherstone, who is an Instagram influencer and menopause activist, will be on hand, along with pleasure products industry vet Kim Airs by her side to lead the charge, hand out rally posters and get expo attendees pumped for the day. There will be music, celebration and some uncensored signage.
“I had my TikTok account removed and lost all my followers for posting some middle-aged arse and a high-cut leotard,” said Featherstone. “As a content creator, I invest time and money in creating content to engage and educate in fun and provocative ways that get people talking. To just remove my work and revenue stream is unfair! I also had a picture removed talking about my scars and body battles. They claimed it was sexual as I was clutching my tits. It was a huge post for me and to have it removed with all its comments that help so many people is so frustrating.
“I’m thrilled to be taking part in this year’s Sex Expo and to share my thoughts and feelings about censorship in social media,” she added. “Even in the few short years since I’ve been running my Instagram and growing my following, I’ve watched how brands and content creators such as myself have been penalized and had our content deemed explicit or sexual in nature, while it is actually educational and inspirational for so many older women.”
Airs noted the unfairness of mainstream celebrities letting it all hang out on social media, flaunting NSFW content without repercussion while she has unhappily found herself “unable to advertise products that other companies advertise under false pretenses.” She said she hopes that talking about it openly will help people understand that “our advertising doesn’t harm children and that sexual health information should be allowed to be shared freely.”
Cheyenne M. Davis, a journalist, content creator and moderator, also will be participating in the protest as a rally speaker.
“As a fat, Black femme who is queer and nonbinary, I have experienced a lot of censorship on social media, especially on Instagram and Twitter,” Davis said. “On Instagram, in April 2021, I posted an image of myself? with a ball gag in my mouth and it was taken down. Because I mostly make body-positive and sex- and kink-positive content, folks often tell me that my content hardly ever shows up in their feeds. However, I've also noticed that folks who are usually white, thin and cisgendered, who make similar content, aren't seemingly subjected to the same level of censorship.”
Additionally, Davis said, they have had “Sensitive Content” warnings placed on posts in which they are fully clothed.
“I feel that social media is completely devoted to upholding white supremacy and desirability politics and utilizes censorship and algorithms as digital eugenics to cast out marginalized people,” Davis added. “This, along with vague community guidelines, creates an online environment that is ostracizing, unsafe and is far from being connective or enjoyable.”
Although Jimmyjane is a pleasure product brand that has crossed over into mainstream through the years, the company says it still experiences censorship on social media platforms whenever it posts words that are “related to sexual wellness and body parts, devices or visuals with more skin exposure.”
According to Katerina Lin, the director of marketing and ecommerce for Jimmyjane.com, it is critical to improve content moderation policies because “sex is a fundamental topic that every human needs to learn about, safely and informatively.
“These policies are reinforcing the stigma and misunderstanding of sex in our society, ignoring its health benefits while increasing negative judgment across all age groups around the world,” Lin added. “We are on a mission to influence policies so we can rightfully educate and empower our community to better understand ourselves, while leading healthier and happier lives through prioritizing our pleasure.”
The harm of having sex-positive content removed or hidden goes beyond affecting a brand or influencer’s following.
“I believe everyone should have a chance to learn about sexual health,” Stealth Shaft Support’s Nanci Smith said. “It is part of our overall health. When you censor things, you are keeping people from discovering products that not only help with their sexual health but also mental health.”
Smith encouraged people to protest as a good way to stand up and educate others.
“Protesting is a way to be heard,” she said. “The more voices you get together to protest, the more people will hear your voice, which is a chance to help make a change.”
Maureen Pollack, co-founder and inventor of the WaterSlyde, believes that it’s important to take a stand against unfairness and embrace the right to free speech.
“I have seen my fair share of censorship that is unjustified,” Pollack said. “I have been banned for ‘adult nudity’ when a post doesn’t even have a human in the image.”
Carly S., a social media expert and Romantic Depot representative, said that she is skeptical every time social media platforms update their terms of service, since she sees those rules becoming increasingly restrictive.
“Instagram has even removed posts containing emojis they deem inappropriate, like the eggplant or peach,” she said. “These ever-changing rules force people who work in the industry to self-censor, going through old posts to edit captions or remove them altogether..”
“Platform censorship typically affects the most marginalized people first,” Carly S. added.
Romantic Depot CEO Glen Buzzetti explained how the strictness of various social media platforms has forced his company to be extra careful.
“We have had to develop our posts to be more interactive, and with fun PG-rated entertainment content for informational and educational purposes,” Buzzetti said. “We now need to vet all posts to ensure we are compliant on all social media platforms.”
Federico from Kubiaksado, a leather and vegan leather manufacturer, described the frustration he has experienced on social media.
“I have suffered the closure of an Instagram account for showing the products we manufacture, just because you could see a part of a body,” Federico said.
Author and visual artist Biodun Abudu said he was “mentally and emotionally affected” by having to cope with social media guidelines.
“I have worked so hard on my products and what they did affected my promotion and means to provide for my family,” Abudu said. “It is important to protest because these issues are often swept under the rug. There is power in numbers and there needs to be a spotlight on this issue. Putting these issues on the table starts a conversation that hopefully will create change and action on their part. We are tired of losing our business to senseless censorship!”
Odile Toys founder and CEO Benjamin Jay also shared the exasperation of not being able to advertise his business on social media.
“Even though we focus on the wellness aspect of our products without showing naked bodies or using words related to sexuality, we were denied,” he said.
Woodhull Freedom Foundation views censorship as one of the most pressing issues today.
“Our Constitution gives us the right to protest, to use our voices in opposition,” Woodhull Freedom Foundation’s Mandy Salley said. “If we don't raise our voices in protest today, that right will be gone tomorrow. Censorship is un-American and a threat to the heart of democracy. How could we not protest efforts to silence us?”
Sex coach Pegstress Peggin Tha Stallion said that censorship of social media profiles like hers, because the sex education she offers is deemed “adult subject matter,” is “restricting the youth from educating themselves, and preventing their sexual wellness.”
As a first-time vendor at Sex Expo, FirmTech’s Caitlin Oponski said that she is excited to see an anti-censorship rally precede the event.
“Our clinician-hosted content — urologists, sexologists, sex counselors and emergency room physicians — has also been removed and blocked,” Oponski said.
April Davis, content creator and speaker with The Vagina Blog, also has experienced “endless censorship” on Instagram as a result of using sex-related words that are central to her sex-ed mission.
“I'm constantly having to come up with new creative ways to talk about these important topics while not making it ridiculously juvenile by not being able to use the proper, anatomically correct terms,” Davis said. “Much of my educational platform emphasizes how important it is to use words like vulva, and Instagram then censors me for doing so.”
Daniel Saynt, the founder and chief conspirator of members-only social club NSFW explained that as a bisexual sex-positive online community, NSFW has faced censorship and account bans by nearly every platform.
“We’ve dealt with numerous account closures,” Saynt said. “These bans penalize companies trying to encourage a sex-positive culture, due to a fear and stigma around anything sex-related. It’s absurd and disappointing as we fully believe in the importance of sex education and teaching people how to build stronger sexual relationships.”
