So this post probably should have been about the joyous news about DOMA/Prop 8.  And I’ll get to that.  But not long after that news, I got this email from Google:

Important Update to Adult Content Policy on Blogger
You are receiving this message because you are the admin of a blog hosted on Blogger which is identified to have Adult content.
Please be advised that on June 30th 2013, we will be updating our Content Policy to strictly prohibit the monetization of Adult content on Blogger. After June 30th 2013, we will be enforcing this policy and will remove blogs which are adult in nature and are displaying advertisements to adult websites.
If your adult blog currently has advertisements which are adult in nature, you should remove them as soon as possible as to avoid any potential Terms of Service violation and/or content removals.
Sincerely,
The Blogger Team

So this sucks.  What it means is that I have to remove all advertising.  Now, to be frank, I didn’t make a lot of money from my affiliates (maybe $200 USD total in about 2-3 years time), as I didn’t push them too hard.  I just liked supporting them, as I do feel they sell good products.  So this isn’t about my personal monetary loss.

Really, it’s mostly about the foreshadowing.  This seems more like a first step from google, if you ask me.  I get a sense they’re going to put a gradual squeeze on all adult oriented blogs.  It’s not a good feeling.  I’m also irritated they gave less than a week’s notice.  If I had been traveling during this time, I don’t know if I would have had the opportunity to comply, risking in the blog being taken down against my consent.

In any case, this leaves me with a few thoughts for the long term.

  1. Do I move this blog?  I know blogspot is rapidly considered a bit of a dinosaur in the blog world, but I have to admit that I still like it.  Tumblr, while good for pic posts, isn’t as convenient for longer posts with themes and text.  And I’ve never really investigated other blog platforms to know much, or do self-hosting. Adding the “adult content” layer to things only complicates it more.
  2. Do I just quit blogging?  I still don’t plan on that at the moment, but as time goes on, and if google adds more and more restrictions, I may not find it worth my time.  And to be honest, I’m not feeling as personally interested in blogging anymore.  No special reason, just some changes in my personal life (good ones, I assure you) that I’m actually getting more into now and taking up more of my time.  So it’s a possibility in the future.
For now, I’ll just remove the advertising.  But be braced for anything in the future, including more downtime.  In the meantime, if anyone has any ideas for methods, programs, or self hosting a blog that is gay adult content, advice would be appreciated.

I kind of want to hear from you, the readers, about how you feel about this.  Plus, I’ve been very busy these last few weeks, so I’m going to take a week off from the blog and post again on Saturday.  This will also give time for people to read this post, and send me their thoughts/advice.

*     *     *
So very happy news about DOMA/Prop 8!  And here in California, it’s obviously great news.  Now my BF and I will have to decide if we want to marry.  It’s probably a given that we will, but it’s a matter of when.  To be honest, in the interest of privacy, I probably won’t state it here if we do or not, and when.  But it is something on our minds.
And while these are both great strides, let’s not forget that there are still 30 or so states that still ban gay marriage, so there is still much work to do.  Any many people don’t realize that there is still no federal anti-gay discrimination bill–meaning that a person can be fired in many states for just being gay.  It’s just assumed we have one–we have marriage, right?  Surely we must have this–but we don’t.  A few states do protect against it, but most do not.

Also, let’s not forget the transgender fights, especially in use of public bathrooms… that’s quite a hot button topic as well, and still one that needs to be overcome.

But the cracks are appearing in the dam, so to speak.  Let’s hope that being able to push the door open a crack will make it easier to open the door fully later on.

*     *     *
In a quick follow up to my post on kink at Disneyland, I first want to mention that the twink gagged soldier at the end of the Walt Disney World Pirates of the Caribbean is no longer there.  It got replaced a couple of years ago with a Captain Sparrow figure.  And the scene was never included in the Disneyland (California version) of the ride.  So don’t go expecting to see it anymore.
And I do have a friend who is very into smells, particularly farts.  Which, while not my thing, is something I can relate to since I like smelly feet, which most people find equally repugnant.  And for such people, inside the attraction It’s a Bug’s Life (both at Disney’s California Adventure and Animal Kingdom), a stinkbug comes in and does his business, and you, well, ah, smell it.  So even those perverts can be satisfied.  

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