“I’m experimenting with exhibitionism, and being able to talk about kink with a broader audience … is gratifying,” he shares. “I started my Twitter-alt as a response to what I could no longer do on Tumblr,” Richard, 40, from Cincinnati, Ohio, says. “I hand-selected who I followed, so the site was filled with my fetishes and people I found attractive.” When the Tumblr ban was announced, Matt switched to his existing Twitter account, deleting its content and using it for porn curation. “It was 100% visual and always offered new content,” he says. I definitely saw it coming.”ĭuring its heyday, Matt solely used Tumblr for porn, attributing its layout and curation abilities for his preference. “First, by removing adult search words, then by forcing ‘suggested content’ that veered from adult material. “Tumblr had long been trying to redirect its porn status,” he says. Matt, 37, from Dallas, Texas, admits he was disappointed in the ban, but not surprised. We’ve found a way to restore what Tumblr has destroyed. Now, is this sudden emergence a coincidence? Of course not. The user will often retweet content they find sexy, as well. These offer users a private account separate from their main one, where the user will post X-rated pictures and footage. Almost immediately following Tumblr’s apocalyptic ban, there was a surge in Twitter alt-accounts.
The platform was massively influential for individuals both discovering and coming to terms with their sexuality.
For many LGBTQ folks, Tumblr was a digital safe-haven, a place where we felt free to safely explore our sexuality without judgment and ridicule. Queer people, in particular, were pissed-and rightfully so. The ban came shortly after Apple’s App Store removed the Tumblr app over a child pornography incident (though, according to The Verge, Apple’s issues with the site far exceeded that singular incident).
On December 17, Tumblr banned all adult content (with very few exceptions), effectively severing one of its most fruitful categories.