A message to my friends, fans, and followers about the upcoming Tumblr policy change.
To all my friends, fans, and followers:
First and foremost, thank each and every one of your for your enthusiastic support for my various Tumblr blogs [@GearLocker (February 2012 launch), @BeardedBootedBros (June 2015 launch), and @FrogmentUnited (April 2017 launch)]. I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing original content and re-blogging others’ content that speaks to my various and wide-reaching fetish interests. It’s also been a fantastic forum for meeting and connecting with others who share some or most of those various fetishes. I can honestly say that I’ve met some awesome individuals via this platform, and though we may never have met in person (yet), these digitally-born relationships have become a very important part of my gear fetish community. Regardless of what happens with this social media platform, I know that the connections I’ve made with you will endure and continue beyond the familiar blue frame.
It goes without saying that I am outraged at this new policy, as it smacks 100% (or more) of censorship and signals (to me) yet another example of the current political climate (primarily in the United Sates but also being witnessed around the globe) of suppressing any kind of expression that does not fit a white, male, heterosexual, cis-gender, christian (small “c” intended) view of the world. As a student and scholar of history and literature, I am reminded of the latter years of the Weimar Republic. Don’t think for a nanosecond that this isn’t a similar wave that we’re experiencing both in the United States and in other countries around the globe.
I don’t know what the fate of my three blogs will be in this new post-December 17, 2018 era. Editorially, 99.99% of my content is, has, and will continue to be free of genitalia, sex acts, and other depictions of what this new policy would deem as “unacceptable” (a term that I find highly subjective). But seeing some examples from some other gear bloggers of content that has been flagged as “questionable” or “inappropriate” — i.e. fully geared men in hazmat suits and gas masks, with nothing exposed — gives me great pause. I truly hope that my three blogs will be around and will survive the cut, but in solidarity with my other gear community brothers, I will soon look for another platform where we can share freely photos and experiences of the things that make us tick, make us human, and make us unique. Let Tumblr become another site where midwestern crafters can post pictures of kittens and unicorns farting rainbow dust. They (the bozos at Tumblr) will soon see a dramatic decline in subscriptions and users.
I have amassed an incredible amount of content over the years across these various blogs — as of today, Tuesday, December 4, 2018: 16,893 on GearLocker; 2,012 on BeardedBootedBros; and 2,291 on FrogmenUnited. I don’t think I’ll be able to save or archive any of this content, so I’ll give it up to the gear gods in the sky if these blogs get flagged and deleted.
Gear brothers, I stand with you in solidarity against this ridiculous and completely cowardice move by Tumblr. I won’t be surprised if other platforms will soon start to see their decline — and I’d be happy if Twitter were the next to fall, and fall hard. (I’ve always hated that platform anyway). We all know Facebook is under fire and intense scrutiny (as it should be), and I wouldn’t hesitate for a second that others will start to implement similar policies and experience similar reactions.
Let’s see if our petitions and collective voices can reverse this idiotic decision. We’re starting to see coverage of this policy in the mainstream media (New York Magazine, the publication that, like Tumblr, calls home, and Forbes). I imagine that in the coming days this will become a PR nightmare for them (Tumblr/Verizon) and will soon cause many of the bozos in charge to recant, re-evaluate, and (hopefully) resign.
Peace out, gear brothers. Stay tuned for an update from me on where to find me next.
Yours in gear,
@GearLocker, @BeardedBootedBros, @FrogmenUnited
