RICK CASTRO: FUCK CENSORSHIP

For better or,(mostly) worst the largest social media platforms have become the dictators of culture for early 21st century.
They do this by deciding who and what will be posted on their servers. Ironic since WWW, (worldwide web) was created as a way for everyone to express whatever they wanted to everyone, without corporate input.
Facebook, Instagram, (owned by FB) and Tumblr have now become the harshest censors using Trumpworld’s Russian hackers as excuse to remove content.
Homeland security may have been the impetus, but quickly overreached to sexual content. Social media uses faux community standards as defense for discriminatory practices that are blatantly hypocritical.

Without question, GLTBQ postings are the hardest hit with rampant over-censorship and arbitrary removals. This is unfortunately nothing new. “blame the gays” rhetoric has been part of the American justice scapegoating for as long as we care to remember. 

On March 29th, 2019, I posted a link to the Advocate story about my exhibition
RICK CASTRO: FETISH KING. This was immediately removed and Facebook banned me for 30 days, even though it was no more provocative than a Madonna image. The only difference; it was with two men. 

The Advocate then asked me to write a statement about my censorship. Posted on my behalf, this was also removed adding an additional 30 days suspension.
BTW, the image was of me, fully clothed sitting on a bench! I’ve had numerous friends try to repose the statement. All have been removed by Facebook.
(SEE IMAGES BELOW TO UNDERSTAND HOW ABSURD AND RANDOM IT IS)

This arbitrary removal on social platforms is alarming. It goes to the larger picture of mainstream media corporate structure choosing what should be consumed by whom.

Numerous people I know, mostly GLBTQ, have had images & writings removed, and access to their own profiles placed on suspension.
Surprisingly, I’m witnessing complacency of this practice. So I’m asking the community; why are you accepting this?
My generation and generations before fought all our lives to achieve some equality within hetro institutions. Certain nudity and kink imagery is accepted when it depicts heterosexuality without anyone batting an eyelash.
GLBTQ have the same rights.

Do not take this lightly. We are the canaries in the coal mine. If it happens to me and my peers, it will eventually happen to you.

KNOW YOUR HISTORY. This is the beginning of the end. Take a look at the broad picture and understand how much has changed in a mere two years.
Currently in my book club we are reading The Pink Triangle, (Richard Plant, 1986). This was the symbol gay people were forced to wear in Nazi concentration camps.
This symbol allowed gay men zero rights. ZERO!
From 1933 to 1935, (two years) German Jews, gays, gypsies ie: minorities and handicapped people were subjugated with censorship, removal from media, access to earning a living, then all civil rights removed, thus allowing for extermination.

Now in the 21st century I’ve been banned on social media 21 times in the two years since the November 8th, 2016 election, which I call Black Friday.
Please don’t read this as innocuous and write it off as victim mentality. Censorship combined with liberal media labeled fake news, white supremacy laden propaganda, muslim bans, Mexican children in cages, separation of immigrant families, church ,mosque and synagogue fires, mixed with rampant hate crimes, attacks on GLBTQ people, police brutality, and killings of black people is the new normal. This is a recipe for disaster.
Wake up and push back against social media’s stranglehold on culture. Do not accept censorship in any form.

I have always been, and always will be a sex positive artist.
Besides themes of fetish, lust & desire, I represent an in-your-face- pushback to American censorship. If we accept these restrictions as a community, we’re doomed.
FUCK CENSORSHIP.

Rick Castro, April 22nd, 2019