Sometimes I wonder if this kind of censorship will be ever over! In 2012 we would think that most people have seen everything and are open to any kind of relationship, at least people who use Google and YouTube,… but nope, this is not the case! Both websites have just rejected a 16-second promo-clip for the latest release of Perfume Genius.
The clip shows two naked-torso men (Perfume Genius' Mike Hadreas and pornstar Arpad Miklos) tenderly embracing each other, and you can't see much more than this,… but it was enough for Google and YouTube to refuse it based on their policy on‘Adult Image/Video Content’. You have to read the whole policy to realize the total hypocrisy behind this:
‘Any ads that contain non family safe material are disapproved. I noted to the team that the people in the video are notentirely unclothed, but the overall feeling of the video is one of a more adult nature, including promoting mature sexual themes and what appears to be nude content. As such, the video is non family safe. In order to have this video ad approved, you will need to bring it into compliance with our policy.’
I would not advice you to type ‘naked’ in a YouTube research because you may be surprised (at least I was) of the stuff you can find; from ‘educative videos’ to plain porn, a simple research returned 1,900,000 videos. I know that some of them probably had nothing to do with naked body but the first pages were showing some action than I would qualify of ‘non-family safe’. So what is this about?
Matador's Nils Bernstein told Queerty: ‘I can't imagine that a 'straight' version of this ad wouldn't pass. Our entire office (90% straight,for what it's worth) was genuinely surprised by this one. Especially given their impassioned pleas last week about free speech and anti-Internet-censorship.’
He is right, but the irony in the story is that the whole video is on YouTube, this promo video is in fact a pre-roll ad that YouTube runs before videos you want to watch, as Bernstein explained it:
‘So it seems they're worried about upsetting unsuspecting viewers that don't want to see two men looking romantically at each other. But I've had ads for anti-gay-rights Republican candidates and 'Jersey Shore'-style TV shows sprung on me that seem to fit 'not family safe' or 'promoting mature sexual themes' more than this. I bet most of the people in the approvals department don't even agree with this, but are afraid to piss off deep-pocketed conservative clients, which is even sadder given the innocence of this clip.’
YouTube and Google are afraid about running an ad about gayness. Queerty suspect that some homophobes flagged it and so obliged the websites to block it. Matador asked for clarification from the site twice, but hasn’t got any answer.
Even R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe got mad about it on his tumblr:
‘I’ve been listening to the new Perfume Genius record all last weekin Mexico, it is a beautiful and amazing record and a stunning 2nd album and achievement. But in trying to advertise the record and first video, this short clip has been banned by YouTube. For YouTube to deem this advertisement as “non family safe” is dumbheaded discrimination; I find their actions in doing so disgraceful and cowardly. YouTube, shame on you. You were born of the 21st Century, now act like it.’
Judge by yourself, because Vimeo is apparently a much more open medium: