No advertising on LGBTI+ Hubs - oversight or discrimination?

1. 83

   Pip Stoneposted 7 months ago

   Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening Fellow Hubbers
   
   In the short time that I have been with HubPages, I have noticed a disturbing trend. As a proud trans woman, I read a lot of Hubs in PairedLife. I am yet to see a single ad on any Hub relating to LGBTI+ issues.
   
   I am hoping that this is simply an oversight, or that I just haven't been reading the right Hubs. Surely a reputable organisation such as HubPages would not deliberately discriminate against queer writers making a little money online.
   
   Would they?

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      Colin Quartermainposted 7 months agoin reply to this

      example? first article I went to via google search on pairedlife has adverts on, and tried several on hubpages as well, all had ads on
      
      https://pairedlife.com/gender-sexuality … Difference
      
      for me has ads on, one about data trends, one about Ibiza and another for a software download
      
      adblocker running? do you see ads on hubs about other topics

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      1. 83

         Pip Stoneposted 7 months agoin reply to this

         Hmm. I just went to the link you provided only to find no ads. I don't run adblockers on sites, only on social media, Strange. Could it be down to my browser/OS? I use Mozilla FF and run Linux.

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         1. 98

            TIMETRAVELER2posted 7 months agoin reply to this

            Sounds like that may be your problem.  Click on some other types of articles to see if ads are showing and try also changing to a different browser to check.

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   2. 97

      promisemposted 7 months agoin reply to this

      I can think of 3 reasons that don't have anything to do with HubPages:
      
      1. Many advertisers target by category. There simply may not be enough ads available from advertisers who target LGBTI audiences, which is why they show up only now and then. This is a volume problem.
      
      2. Ad networks such as Google AdSense give advertisers the option of not serving ads to any category. This is a branding problem.
      
      3. There is simply too much content on the Web competing for ads. The growth of content has far outpaced the growth of advertising in recent years. This is a competition problem.

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   3. 98

      Christy Kirwanposted 7 months agoin reply to this

      Hi Pip,
      
      Some articles do have ads turned off occasionally, not because of HPs policies, but in order to comply with the Google AdSense guidelines. We still care about different types of content having a voice, but we are unwilling to endanger the entire site by potentially having HP banned for displaying AdSense ads on content they are not permitted on.
      
      That said, this doesn't typically apply to articles on LGBTQ issues in general and would only apply if there is info on reproductive/medical issues, sexually explicit terms, or what AdSense deems "excessive" use of words like "penis," "breast," etc.

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      1. 83

         Pip Stoneposted 7 months agoin reply to this

         Hi Christy
         Thank you for clearing things up. I didn't think it would be a decision by Those With An H
         Any LGBTI+ pieces I may post on HP will certainly not be explicit. Still not sure why my browser didn't show them.

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2. 99

   DrMark1961posted 7 months ago

   I am seeing the ads just fine.
   To answer your question though, I would like to point out that HP does disable ads for some articles that are on delicate subjects. (Child rape, for example.) They do this because these delicate subjects might endanger our Adsense account. If Adsense is disabled all of us will end up losing out.
   If you do not care for this policy, you can blame Google, not Hubpages. If you wish to complain, you need to file a complaint with Google.

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   1. 83

      Pip Stoneposted 7 months agoin reply to this

      Hi TT2. I tried on my housemate's android device, and I can see ads. Obviously it is a tech issue.
      
      DrMark1961, I'm not complaining. I just thought it odd. Limiting Adsense when it comes to certain topics is completely understandable. The topic I was reading and not seeing the ads got me a little concerned, but now we have got to the bottom of it

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      1. 99

         DrMark1961posted 7 months agoin reply to this

         Google sent me "your adsense will be cancelled" warning after posting a video of a surgery on a dog. The content was necessary to the article but considered too graphic. Hubpages disabled the ads. It is definitely not the best solution for the reader, but unfortunately we have to appease them at times.
         I´m glad you were able to figure out your problem so quickly.

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 7 months agoin reply to this

      I would also add that Amazon made all of us who use it agree to keep our articles "child friendly" or they would stop allowing us to place their ads on our hubs.  I'm not sure how LGBT figures into this, but thought I'd add this info just in case.

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3. 83

   psycheskinnerposted 7 months ago

   Its not unreasonable to keep an eye on this.  Several years ago it was hubpages official policy that anything mentioning homosexuality was "adult" material that adsense could not be put on.  I have a link to the forum confirmation of this somewhere....

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4. 83

   psycheskinnerposted 7 months ago

   Here it is
   
   "In partnership with our advertising partners, we've identified below some areas that are not suitable for advertising but that, at our discretion, we may allow to remain published without ads:
   
   Reproductive medical content (including vaginal and penile issues and sexually transmitted diseases)
   Content about sexuality, including losing your virginity, fetish, or LGBT issues
   Content about abortion, circumcision, rape, incest, pedophilia, and molestation
   Content describing violent crimes or gruesome accidents
   Lewd or profane humor, including provocative entendre
   Restrained journalistic or fine art nudity
   If the content of your hub falls into one of these areas, please set the Ad Level to 'None'. If you have specific questions, please contact us."
   
   Notice :"LGBT issues"
   
   I think that policy has since changed but the fact that it ever existed made a lasting impression on me.

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      Pip Stoneposted 7 months agoin reply to this

      Very helpful. Thank you, psychskinner. I've C+C'd it for my own reference.

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