Steam, Itch.io and the banning of explicit and LGBT+ Content. What can we do?
[All images in this post have alt/id text if you need it or want to copy paste anything]
With no warning, Itch.io, a site where many host their indie games, comics, books and more, has started purging and shadowbanning explicit and LGBT+ works. Creators got no warning. And if they were still owed payouts from these works, Itch.io is saying they won't give them their money as they 'broke the rules'. Rules that were only just set in place, with no warning, and therefore no way for creators to try and draw out their money or delete these 'offending' works before they got banned under the new rules.
So Itch.io has been the most recent to fall to the demands of a group that's been contacting Visa and Mastercard and convincing them to threaten sites/businesses with 'stop selling what we consider to be explicit content on your sites of we'll stop allowing your site to have transactions with Visa and Mastercard'. Steam folded, and now Itchio has too. And a reminder earlier this year Gumroad also stopped allowing explicit content, further back than that Patreon banned some kinks and fetishes even if it's depicted in fiction not real life, and I don't have to explain to you guys the great Tumblr explicit content ban of 2018.
And as always remember this doesn't stop with sexually explicit work as LGBT+ stories and people are often labelled as explicit and already we're seeing works being taken off Itch.io that are about LGBT+ and especially trans stories. Other non-sexually explicit works I've seen already getting shadowbanned, delisted or deleted are SFW games featuring furries/anthros, SFW dress up games (because when you take the clothes the model is nude), and the aforementioned SFW games that include LGBT+ characters and stories.
I'm compiling here information I've seen around various social medias, mostly Bluesky, because I haven't seen all these things shared over here.
I don't personally have explicit content on itch, but I had been considering one day selling things on there and I do currently have explicit content on my Patreon, my main source of income, and am terrified that Patreon is going to fold next (if anyone knows alterative for hosting audio content behind a paid subscription service please let me know so I can start maybe making a back-up in case the worst happens). Because for me personally if Patreon goes next, it's not like I can go out and easily get another job. Not only because in general finding and getting a job is difficult enough, but I'm autistic and have chronic pain and have been constantly getting sick or new pains over the last few years and don't feel safe being trans in the UK right now and all of that combined rules me out of a lot of jobs and makes me feel unsafe to apply to any. I'm so grateful I've been able to make a community around my work, but if Patreon caves next and I just leave my SFW posts on Patreon... 10% of my Patreons are signed up to the SFW tier, 90% are signed up to the explicit tier... I know if Patreon caves I will go from someone living comfortably who's searching to move out of my parents so I can live in a safer environment to someone who can no longer even afford the rent I pay to my parents. I'll try and get an alterative found and set up in case that happens and I can only hope you guys will follow me to whatever other site I have to set up... but it feels unlikely that people will get a whole new account on a whole new payment provider just to support me on a website they might never have heard of...
But what can we do right now?
A petition you can sign (international but you do have to give your name, email, and postal/zip code):
Mastercard's new policy unfairly targets the adult content industry, making sex workers more vulnerable, especially Black trans women. It mu
Get calling:
Mastercard (US): 1-800-627-8372
MasterCard (UK): 0800 964 767
Mastercard (International.): +1-636-722-7111
Visa (US + Can): 1 800 847 2911 / 1-800-VISA-911
Visa (AUS): 1 800 125 440
Visa (UK) : 0800 891 725 or use their international call collect +1 303 967 1096
Visa (International): (call collect - it costs them $): +1-303-967-1096
PayPal (US): 1-888-221-1161
PayPal (UK): 0800 358 7911 from landline, +44 203 901 7000 mobile
PayPal (International): 1-402-935-2050
(numbers gathered from these posts X X X )
Don't know what to say on the phone? Here's a script written by timidtanuki:
Creators have had their work removed off Itch.io with no warning and since it's been removed for 'breaking the rules' (rules that were suddenly in place with no warning) they aren't entitled to get their payouts. Just like other sites such as Youtube and Twitch and Etsy, Itch.io hold onto money from their users in a wallet and then give them payouts. So there is money creators have made, are owed, that Itch.io is not giving to them.
People are recommending that if you still have works on Itch.io to turn down the revenue sharing to 0% so that Itch.io no longer takes a cut or your money if you no longer want to support Itchi.io finically but don't want to remove your works from their platform. X
Other Bluesky posts and calls to action I've seen:
radiantg.bsky.social is asking for anyone on Itch.io who got their game deindexed, removed , or payouts turned off to reach out to them (espeically if you make explicit and/or LGBT+ games) for a piece of journalism about what is happening.
sleepyhard.bsky.social is making a threat of all the games that Itch.io has censored/removed from their site search function. Obviously be aware this will include 18+ only games, games with sexual content and other dark or heavy themes.
thetransfemininereview.com wants you to reach out to them if you're a trans creator on Itch.io who is being affected by this so they can make an accurate report. they say 'authors' in their post and I'm unsure if they also want game devs to reach out.
dropdownbear.bsky.com wants you to reach out if you have purchased things on Itch.io that you can now no longer access because of this ban. they can include them in a report being filed with the Australian Consumer Commission as this may be a violation of Australian Consumer rights. If you are Australian you can no longer access things you purchased of Itch.io you can report directly with this guide.
It's a scary time for adult creators and sex workers. It's a scary time to be trans. Support creators. And if anyone knows of any alternate payment providers that allow explicit work, and/or alternate websites to Itch (and in case things get worse, also give me Patreon alternates please) where people can host, sell and/or offer paid subscriptions to writing, images, videos, audios, games and more please leave them in the replies. And please help share this post, the posts I'm linking too, and any other resources you can find.
Minors DNI. Ageless blogs DNI. I want resources and help but I don't reply to this post or follow this blog if you're under 18, this is an explicit blog and not for anyone under 18.
I woke up today, read about this and thought it was April's Fools. This world is going backwards FAST and it's super depressing to watch it all burn around you.
It’s a bit fascinating how something so rough can take root so smoothly in your heart and mind. It almost takes a graceful, silent flight into you. As the tears slide down your face, your mind is in a very, very dark place: a tunnel where there is no lights nor windows. But sometimes, a little flicker of light - or should I say, reason - seeps through. Where does it come from? Maybe it has been with you since the beginning, just like a dear old friend that sometimes likes to pay you a surprise visit. But sometimes, the smile of that friend is not enough, for the darkness keeps covering them like a shadow and pushing them from your mind. Again, here comes the dark; here it takes away again. And often, you give up - it takes over you and you get up to face it head on, with your bleeding heart and blinded reason.
Her sharp eyes surveyed the sprawling cityscape. A myriad of colorful, twinkling lights dotted the night skyline. She couldn’t see them all, but could feel them; little ants running around everywhere: on the roads, in the alleyways, atop the skyscrapers, down in the sewers and loitering around abandoned buildings. Some human, others not quite so. She craved the quiet, yet didn’t mind the twitchy humans; she was once one of them, after all. She would never hold that against them.
On the rooftop, the wind starts to pick up, turning her hair into free, twirling strands of brown. Breathing deeply, she closes her eyes and moves her head to face the dark sky, inhaling the light scent of damp earth; incoming rain. The city below holds all kind of scents, the majority of them most definitely not pleasing to the senses, but up here the air is cleaner and fresher, wild and free. A single light drop hits her forehead, sliding down to her lips. Another soon follows, the skies and the clouds opening up into a waterfall of rain. The city of Galecross is blessed by another rainy night.
She gets up, a tall shadow that mingles with the darkness of the night. After another long look at the city below, she turns around, letting out a small, sad sigh.
A flash of light brightens up the skies, followed by the sound of a low, menacing rumble. In the few seconds during which the lightning strikes, the lone figure atop the rooftops of Galecross is gone.
I have always loved to write, but I’ve having a hard time finding a good platform to post it to; I ended up going for Tumblr - only time will tell if I did the right thing. The snippets, stories, scenarios or articles that I write I decided to classify them as pockets because pockets are usually small, but can still hold a lot of information on them; also, I thought the term was cute ᵔ ᴥ ᵔ
Also, I would really like to someday write a full-fledged story: a book; until then, this is what I have and it’s also my training, so to speak.
Regarding the fictional stories I’ll be posting - since they are short, many things are left unsaid, unclear, etc.; therefore, feel free to contact me about any doubts or curiosities you may have about them, the characters, the mysteries or even if you just want to talk about writing in general! When it comes to non-fiction, when I get to write something on that theme, do the same; I’d be very happy to help you.
titsay
romaincrisis
yousharknotpass