Instagram Faces Backlash For Censoring Gay Family Photo As ‘Graphic Content’
Image: @scousedads on Instagram
Instagram has faced backlash for censoring a photograph of two gay dads holding their newborn baby, labelling the image as ‘graphic’ and sensitive’ content.
Men Having Babies, an international non-profit organisation aiding gay men in their journey to parenthood, shared a photo featuring Liverpool-based couple Sam and David (known as @scousedads on Instagram) alongside their newborn Jude on March 6.
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Following its publication, Instagram censored the image with a “sensitive content” warning, which read: “Sensitive Content. This photo may contain graphic or violent content… [or] images that some people might find upsetting.”
The photo captures the couple with their foreheads touching as they lovingly embrace their baby, with one dad tenderly kissing the top of the child’s head. Despite this, the image contains no ‘graphic content’ and typically, Instagram users can share photos with their newborns without triggering a “content warning” from the platform.
Berlin Expo Guides European Gay Men in Surrogacy Parenthood
The Instagram post aimed to promote an upcoming surrogacy conference and expo scheduled for April 26 to 28 in Berlin, Germany.
The caption extended a public invitation to “European gay men seeking to become fathers!” The expo iis arriving in central Europe to offer informative guidance on fatherhood options for European gay men.
Men Having Babies is dedicated to serving the gay community all around the world, and helping gay men navigate through the medical, legal, and financial aspects of ethical surrogacy.
The expo encouraged European gay men to join the expo to discuss “surrogacy costs, budgeting, insurance considerations, and MHB’s member resources, discounts, and financial assistance”.
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Backlash Leads to Removal of Content Warning on Instagram Photo
The “content warning” remained in place until March 14, following a wave of social media backlash.
Users expressed their disbelief, with comments including, “This censorship infuriates me. I would like to tell that Zuckerberg how hypocrital he is. How come an expression of fatherly love can be seen as sensitive or violent? Europe has been flooded with far right hateful parties. History repeats itself and we obviously don’t learn with it- @lonetpedro”.
Another user @valeriem61 expressed their shock writing, “@instagram wtf?!? “Sensitive” content warning? I expect to see one on EVERY picture of parents kissing their newborns now. No? Oh so just homophobic then. Not surprising.”
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, removed the mistakenly applied censor filter from the photo on Thursday. A spokesperson from Metatold Metro Weekly, “We apologise as this post was labeled mistakenly and has since been corrected”.
GLAAD Report Exposes Major Platforms’ Failure to Protect LGBTQ Individuals
In January this year, GLAAD released their findings from their 2023 Social Media Safety Index (SMSI) highlighting the persistent failure of major platforms to protect LGBTQ individuals. The American non-governmental media monitoring organisation identified issues including: inadequate content moderation and enforcement, comprising both inaction on anti-LGBTQ hateful content and excessive moderation/censorship of LGBTQ users.
According to the report, harmful algorithms, coupled with a lack of transparency and accountability across the industry, have disproportionately affected LGBTQ people and other marginalised communities on social media platforms, leaving them uniquely vulnerable to hate, harassment, and discrimination.
