Pressure StumbleUpon to end discrimination against LGBTQ communities

We did it!!

Our efforts to pressure StumbleUpon to end discrimination against LGBTQ communities was a fabulous success!  We had two main objectives: challenge StumbleUpon to (1) transfer LGBT culture tags from NSFW list to the safe list, and (2) present the labels for LGBT sex in an equitable manner (preferably renaming the labels to LGBT sexual health and transferring renamed labels to the safe list).

According to a representative from this popular online service, user-submitted websites tagged as LGBT sex mostly contain adult and pornographic content.  In the same NSFW list, the tag pornography contains adult entertainment primarily catering to the straight community. We attempted to persuade the contact person at StumbleUpon to at least rename pornography to straight sex so that it would match the LGBT sex tags. Unfortunately, this final request was denied.

StumbleUpon's mysterious methods of managing user-submitted / user-tagged websites made certain requests nearly impossible to fix without compromising the NSFW-free list. This information is important to understand: We respect their reasoning, as it would have been labor intensive, distracting their programmers from their ultimate goal of restructuring the entire tagging system.  So, the smart thing to do for StumbleUpon was to leave LGBT sex topics as is on the NSFW list.  This way, minors and those using computers in work settings or public places would not unintentionally stumble upon NSFW websites.

Regardless of any unfulfilled requests, our campaign produced a very exciting outcome! LGBT culture tags were transferred to the safe list (non-NSFW). This we can celebrate!! We raised awareness about blatant Internet segregation of the LGBT community. We successfully challenged a popular website aggregate service to treat lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender culture tags safe and included among the general audience.  Essentially, on StumbleUpon's website, LGBT culture tagged websites now share equal space with topics considered safe for all to view.  Once again, this is a huge step towards raising awareness about inequalities between straight and LGBTQ communities in connection with social media websites.

StumbleUpon has not given a specific time frame or details of their restructuring plan, except to say it should take a year.  It will be interesting to see how they practice equitable treatment of all tags related to LGBTQ communities. This is one project worth monitoring!

In sending out this final update for the campaign aimed at StumbleUpon, I personally want to thank all who signed and shared the petition, those who responded to questionnaires, and those who accepted challenges to take action.  Without this global community standing up for equal treatment among LGBTQ communities, one person's request most likely would not have achieved such a significant outcome.  Also, I personally want to thank the representatives from StumbleUpon who took the time to read and respond to several emails pinpointing specific concerns.  I appreciate their willingness to work with the people supporting this cause. Finally, I emphatically want to thank Kellen from Causes. She provided plenty of positive feedback along with suggestions on modifying segments of this effort in order for it to be more effective.  Together, all of those mentioned above made a difference benefiting the LGBTQ community!

~Suzanne Coleman

Hello All,

So far, StumbleUpon has transferred LGBT culture categories from the "not safe" list to the "safe list." This took place several week ago. We have accomplished half of our goal, so congrats!!

Meanwhile, LGBT sex remains on the "not safe" list because, according to a rep from StumbleUpon, those categories lead to pornographic sites.  Below is an email I sent on 3/14/13 to the rep from StumbleUpon who has been corresponding with me.  Hopefully, if we continue to pressure (positively encourage) StumbleUpon, they will make the categories more equitable.

Dear (rep from StumbleUpon):

It's been a week since my last message to you.  As I've not received a reply, I am following up to clarify and to see if we can negotiate a satisfactory conclusion.

I have read your responses carefully, and I understand the rationale for keeping "sexual health" on the safe list without labeling it according to different sexual orientations.  Also, I understand the rationale for keeping LGBT sex on the not safe list because the majority of websites associated with it are pornographic.  So, both of these category settings seem reasonable.

However, the concern regarding equality arises in the labeling of pornographic categories on the not safe list. The inequality exists here: on the not safe list, LGBT pornography is labeled "LGBT sex" while non-LGBT pornography is simply labeled "pornography."  This distinction basically implies LGBT sex automatically equals LGBT pornography, while "pornography" automatically means the content is heterosexual sex only. 

I've clearly heard your explanation that the majority of StumbleUpon users understand the distinction. Yet, I've not heard from you that the distinction is equitable.

To make the not safe list equitable for all sexual orientations, there are basically three solutions:

1. Rename "pornography" as "straight sex" in order to match the labeling of LGBT sex, or

2. Rename LGBT sex as "LGBT pornography" in order to match the assumption that "pornography" automatically means "straight sex," or

3. Rename all pornography categories according to the associated sexual orientation: LGBT pornography and Straight pornography (which will negate any assumptions).

I am asking you to consider a positive resolution to the inequality described earlier.  Several of the individuals who have signed the petition have also expressed their opinion about the current labels on the not safe list.  For those who have expressed their concerns, the inequality is no small matter to ignore:

Are you satisfied with changes StumbleUpon has made (as of 3.1.13)?
Does it matter to you to have your sex life associated with porn?

Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy email and for potentially negotiating a satisfactory conclusion.

~Suzanne Coleman

Activists & Advocates of Human Rights

To date, StumbleUpon has not addressed our concerns outlined in the petition.  Not only have they ignored our concerns about blatant discrimination against LGBTQ communities, they have recently launched changes to their website to compete with Pinterest.  This means they are more concerned about finances than ending their discriminatory practices, even though two representatives from StumbleUpon acknowledged our concerns and expressed intentions to resolve them.

Until now, we have been approaching StumbleUpon in a respectful manner while encouraging a win/win outcome.  This approach has not made any difference, so now is the time to show we mean business.

Please take the pledge: End discriminatory practices against LGBTQ communities now!

Thank you for standing up for human rights!

~suzanne k coleman

A picture says a thousand words... latest screen shot of StumbleUpon's link submit page. (If link does not work, then please go to direct source: https://www.facebook.com/lgbtq.doesnt.equal.nsfw.)

Thanks to all who've signed and shared this petition. Please continue to share!

Let's show StumbleUpon that we've not given up on pressuring them to end discriminatory practices against LGBTQ communities!  Cyber culture is just as real as human culture - what happens online influences offline behavior and thought.

Positive ways to pressure StumbleUpon:

1. If you've not signed the petition, now is the time!  If you've not shared the petition link, take a brave step by posting it on your Facebook wall. It does not matter if you are gay or straight, cisgendered or transgendered, single or married - your status doesn't limit your ability to rally for any cause targeting the end of any type of discrimination!

2. If you currently use StumbleUpon's service to submit links, continue to do so.  We are NOT boycotting them.

3. If you've never tried their service, check it out sometime.

4. Consider submitting high quality, G-Rated through PG-13 Rated links pertaining to LGBTQ culture and/or sex.  Make sure to use the system StumbleUpon has in place, which means selecting from the not safe for work due to adult content list. The purpose of doing this is to demonstrate to StumbleUpon the need for change demands action.  Also, the purpose is to show we want a win/win outcome from this petition. Win/win means ending discriminatory practices may possibly result in increased traffic and revenue for StumbleUpon. Most importantly: After submitting the links on StumbleUpon, please post a comment on this petition that you had no choice other than selecting from the not safe list in order to share the G-Rated through PG-13 Rated link. (Please submit links as you normally would, and try not to over do it.  We don't want to be a nuisance.)

For the record, I have absolutely no connection with StumbleUpon in terms of employment or financial gain for myself or for someone I know.  I'm encouraging action on our part (those who have signed the petition) in order to take a positive approach towards fighting against discrimination.

Thank you for taking a stand for the right thing to do!

~Suzanne

P.S. Please consider sharing this update with your friends, too!

Hello

Your signatures on this petition are making a difference!  It's important to keep the momentum going by sharing this with others and reminding them to sign it.

Yesterday, Ben Rosenburg, Senior Support Engineer from StumbleUpon posted an update in the comment section.  He and his team are actively planning the technical aspects of addressing our concerns. On their end, this is very labor intensive and time consuming.  So, both sides have no idea how long this entire project will take before it is completed.

Let's continue pressuring (positively encouraging) Ben and his team to follow through with their plans to address our concerns.  Also, please take a moment to thank Ben for being responsive and willing to make significant changes to their website.

~Suzanne

Hi All

I'm very thankful and proud of everyone who signed this petition!  As of February 1, 2013, we are close to 2,000 signatures, and I can hardly wait to see how many more individuals will stand up against discrimination in any form.  Yes, we are petitioning against discrimination towards LGBTQ communities on StumbleUpon.  However, if you think about the big picture, we are seeking equality for everyone - not just a select few or a majority.

There have been several comments from individuals who made their opinions about the LGBTQ community very clear.  Arguing over the Internet with strangers rarely accomplishes anything. Personally, I believe in practicing peace. If you look through the comments, I've responded to only a few in order to clarify information.  I've avoided responding to "trolls" - those who purposely comment harshly with the intent of stirring up trouble.  Best thing to do in most cases: don't feed the trolls.  I encourage those offended or hurt by negative comments to consider carefully how to respond.

Speaking of practicing peace, I am waiting for a reply from the representative at StumbleUpon who contacted me last week.  In response to the representative's positive, informative, and polite email, I agreed on the need to keep pornography and adult material separate from public view.  Then, I re-affirmed our main concerns and intent to continue with this cause until satisfactory changes have been made.  I'm hoping this petition will result in a positive outcome for both StumbleUpon and those who have signed it.

Once again, thank you.  Please remember to share this petition with everyone you know who would be supportive.

~Suzanne

Hello All

Thank you for taking a stand against discrimination towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning communities! You are helping to promote a more inclusive Internet culture.

Not long after establishing this petition, I received an unsolicited email from StumbleUpon in which a representative acknowledged their awareness of excluding LGBTQ topics from "safe for work" list.  Other users had expressed similar concerns about this issue, yet previous attempts to resolve it had failed.  The representative affirmed the need to move topics specifically about culture over to the safe list.  Yet, regarding topics explicitly about sex, the rep stated the need to keep those on the NSFW list because content may include pornography.  Several reasons were offered to justify maintaining separate lists, including the inability to filter pornographic content from the safe list. While the rep shared actions to resolve concerns are in the works, I did not receive any requests to discontinue this petition.  In fact, user feedback was met with appreciation.

Considering past failed attempts and current intentions on keeping LGBTQ sex listed as NSFW (while sexual health remains on safe list), this campaign must continue until StumbleUpon creates and maintains an inclusive environment.

Let's continue our efforts by sharing and encouraging allies to sign this petition, and by expressing our concerns in the comment section below the signature line.

Thanks again,
Suzanne K. Coleman