Facebook is censoring a story the Beaver Countian attempted to promote last week about a lesbian student who will be attending the JROTC Ball with her girlfriend.
The story, titled “Lesbian Student Will Be Allowed To Bring Girlfriend To JROTC Ball“, told of an alleged dispute between a student at the Beaver Area School District and her instructor over bringing her same-sex partner to the compulsory event.
The Beaver Countian sought to promote the story, as it does many of our articles, via Facebook’s “promoted story” feature. We instead received a denial letter, stating “One or more of the posts you promoted don’t meet our guidelines and have not been approved.” The letter went on to say that the promoted story was denied because “pornography or sexually explicit or suggestive images are not allowed to be advertised on Facebook.” The Beaver Countian has over 10,000 fans on its Facebook page, which highlights local news and happenings in Beaver County.
The article features the following cover illustration depicting two girls holding hands with flowers and a heart, drawn with chalk on a blackboard:
Illustration by Martin Wimmer
27 Comments From Our Readers
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YES THOSE GIRLS LOOK LIKE THEY’RE READY TO GET DOWN AND DIRTY TO ME! CHALKBOARD GIRLS GONE WILD!!!!!!!!!!!
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I’ll will be the one to say the obvious if that had been a chalkboard drawing of a guy and girl holding hands with a heart FaceBook would have saw nothing wrong with it.
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i need some private time with that picture
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I would be willing to bet that if you attempted to repost,keeping the picture the same, but changing the title to “best friend saves best friends life with organ donation”, it would clear.
The picture isn’t the real reason. The title is. The response from Facebook is just lip service.
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They’ll allow a photo of George David but they won’t permit a chalk board drawing of two females holding hands…..’nuff said.
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Freedom of choice goes both ways.
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Freedom of choice? I see it as censorship.
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ASSumptions….. Quit adding fuel to a fire that doesn’t need ur help. Maybe they didn’t like the article itself, not the actual story. Quit flipping it….
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S&G
Please dont state your opinion. In 2013 Christians are silenced by the PC Police. We lost our rights as Christians for free speech cause we offend with OUR opinion
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C. Dont you know JP is a top notch reporter? I know cause a source familiar with his gossip told me so.
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Your servers censor you: I can NEVER get through.
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What is worse is that you have no way to challenge this decision.
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take your queer as paper back in the closet where you belong bet this gets censored
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Really? I have no words.
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I don’t even want to repeat your pathetic screen name, but your post demonstrates the absolute WORST of Beaver County. I applaud JP for not giving this ignorant and obviously illiterate jackass any more attention than he/she deserves. Wow.
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Oracle it is not a pathetic name and it is not the worst of beaver county why is it that in todays society that 100 straight people have to bend over for 3 fags I am sick of turning on the tv and seeing fags everywhere like the bible says if a man lies with another man then that man is to be executed go back in the closet and keep it there what you do behind closed doors I have no problems with but dont prance around me and force me to deal with it
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Methinks he doth protest too much.
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Oh no! How *horrible* it must be to have to bend over for three fags! “Don’t force me to deal with it! Don’t force me to deal with it, Daddy!”
Look, fagsmustdie, there’s nothing wrong with liking it rough and being an insatiable little whore. Just don’t go sharing your fantasies on a news site, dude.
And come out of the closet, too. No need for self-loathing anymore.
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I suppose you would also bring back anti-miscegenation laws too? How about forced sterilization for the mentally challenged? Murder of the Jews? If you read my post on the post about the lesbian couple below, you would understand what I mean. If you disagree with homosexuality, so be it. Its the hatred that is pathetic, and dangerous. I am a Christian, but I also know people who are gay. They ARE good people. And through talking to them, I believe now that it is not a choice. I do believe people are born, or at least early in their development, are oriented towards the same sex. I wonder if your attitude would be different if you were attracted to someone of your own gender as a child. No abuse, no perversion, just had feelings for someone of your own gender as early as you can remember. It happens. I don’t know why, but if you had any compassion, you would at least have the good sense to SHUT THE FUCK UP. (Sorry JP)
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Just anti-miscegenation & sterilization of mentally deficients.
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So a company like Facebook…who I acknowledge but don’t use….censored the beaver COUNTIAN…. I doubt it…that’s like a fly getting kicked off a honey comb…your not there yet….
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I’m sorry this article is an attempt to start a heated argument….precisely what’s happening….nothing more… There could have been a glitch or a mistake. From what I’m told Facebook allows you to include your sexual orientation in your profile…not to mention some on the sexually explicate pictures and writing I’ve seen on my wife’s page. This article was intended to start a fight. You all know that there is no clean and civil way to debate this subject ANONYMOUSLY without insults so don’t vetted sucked in. It’s clear that the sheriff stories are at a stalemate and the BCountian needs drama to survive so here you are.
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John Paul for sherriff new cars and uniforms adorned in rainbow flags maybe since the mail is kinda of empty you can get one of the old stores and open a place and call it the rainbow room a place we can go cause no one understands us.
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It was probably because the word lesbian was in the header…
Really somebody put for user name “fags must die”
Its 2013 , what do really care for real, your probably pissed you can’t join in or that somebody may be getting a little, or the worst someone that screams fag fag but is married with kids watches gay porn, and ducks into adult bookstore to give or get a bj…..
Question if you receive oral from the same sex does that make you gay?????
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Ummmmm, no. Since oral sex isn’t sex, the sex issue is null and void. Gay, str8, or bi, it isn’t sex.
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Although I agree the article has hints of not being objective,no free open society should ever have any fear of speech. If something is said you don’t like or don’t agree with don’t listen or use your speech to refute it but never censor it.
At the heart of the first amendment is the recognition of the fundamental importance of the free flow of ideas. Freedom to speak ones mind is not only an aspect of individual liberty, but essential to the quest for the truth and the vitality of society of a whole. In the world of public affairs many things are done with motives that are less than admirable that are none the less protected by the first amendment.
Supreme Court Justice
William Renquist