So my Ko-fi page has been marked as NSFW, with no notice or warning. When I appealed the decision, Ko-fi rejected it – also with no reason given.
I feel that I should not be marked as NSFW, but the powers that be have different ideas.
Why would they mark me as NSFW, when my most recent posts have no sexual content or nudity (sexual or otherwise) on it? There isn’t even any profanity. Violence can’t be the issue, because our culture rarely, if ever, marks swashbuckling violence as NSFW.
My best guesses are:
- I have a presence on itch.io, including two comics that are clearly marked as for adult readers only. These comics are NOT on Ko-fi because of their content. But apparently having that content on any site – even if it’s not Ko-fi – is enough for the platform to mark me as NSFW. Possibly. Again, Ko-fi gave no clear reasoning, so this is a guess.
- (In that vein, I feel like censoring me on one platform because of something on another is an unnecessary punishment, censorship overreach, and a pretty clear conflict of interest. Also, bad business practice. If Ko-fi is trying to deter me from posting on itch.io by censoring me on Ko-fi, the only thing it’s making me do is consider migrating to itch.io more fully. More on that in a minute.)
- I’m out in online spaces as genderqueer/nonbinary, and they’re starting to crack down on people with those identities. Given how much anti-trans backlash there is online and off, I’m not ruling out this possibility. (Even if that backlash is funded by right-wing billionaires with nothing better to do than sow division among us working people. Also, who funds Ko-fi?)
Again, these above points are just speculation. But the silence that Ko-fi has greeted me with, does them no favors.
So, I’m looking to move away from Ko-fi. Here’s how I’m doing it:
- I’m setting up my memberships on this website. Shout-out to Cartoonists United, because there are members who suggested I do this and have pointed me to resources that are helpful in this regard.
- I’m no longer selling physical merch online. This phase-out started early because of the current political administration making shipping a MASSIVE PAIN IN THE ASS, domestic or not. Since my shop is now digital-only, I’m migrating my full library to itch.io. My work has been received way better on itch, anyway. So my ko-fi shop will be closing soon as a result.
- Commissions and how I administrate them are still a work in progress. More updates to come on that front.
Will my Ko-fi page close soon? No.
- The migration progress is going to take the time it takes.
- Until then, my Ko-fi page is still up, just marked as NSFW (even if I disagree with it).
- Once my alternatives are set up, my Ko-fi page will still run as a mirror version as folks transition off the platform. Once my current members are fully off the site, I’m turning memberships and other features off.
Ko-fi is more than welcome to email me at any point to clarify their stance and why they rejected my appeal. They have my contact information. I would love to hear ANYTHING from them besides “no” and no explanation.
I usually sign off my blog posts with “Thanks for reading. You. Are. Awesome.”
But in this situation, nothing is awesome about it. I’m just angry, disappointed, left in the dark, and left to my own devices. Ko-fi has branded me as NSFW in their walled-off internet garden.
So fuck that. I’m building my own damn internet garden.