Kickstarter reverses sexual content ban after outcry

Kickstarter is walking back recent changes to its content guidelines, which users lambasted as blanket censorship.

Kickstarter announced the new adult-oriented content guidelines last week, prohibiting pornographic imagery, projects and reward tiers tied to sexual pleasure or gratification, and marketing of products designed for "insertion and penetration."

The changes were made to better reflect policies set by Stripe, the platform's payment processor.

Kickstarter had previously come under fire for similar restrictions on sex toy companies, which were later amended. But as of last week, those policies were back on the table. Indie companies and artists who rely on the crowdfunding site decried the move, arguing that the new guidelines limited creative expression and impacted their businesses. Many suggested moving to competitor sites like Patreon.

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"Honestly? We botched it. The rules didn't land the way we intended, and the response from our community let us know loud and clear that we got it wrong," wrote Kickstarter COO Sean Leow in a May 19 blog post. "The decision we made was an abandonment of the core counterculture, f*ck the establishment spirit of Kickstarter, and it left our community vulnerable."

According to Leow, the new guidelines — which merged existing Kickstarter rules and Stripe prohibitions — were intended to provide a more streamlined experience for users who may eventually face roadblocks in their campaigns due to Stripe's e-commerce constraints. "Over the past several months, we've seen a growing number of campaigns that had already been approved by Kickstarter get suspended by Stripe mid-funding," he wrote.

However, in the face of widespread criticism, Leow said the platform would reverse course, reinstating former policies that simply prohibit pornography and illegal content — but this also means campaigns can once again face suspension at any point in time, Leow explained.

While Kickstarter goes back to the drawing board, users can consult the platform's mature content review guide, which includes an explanation of common suspension triggers and ways to request an exception.