Remember Tumblr? It’s that microblogging site people once used to share adult content until it enacted a blanket ban on nudity in December 2018, essentially erasing the one practical function of the platform.
Well, online adult behemoth Pornhub wants to return the site to its former glory.
A Wall Street Journal report this week said that Verizon, which acquired Tumblr in 2017 as a part of Yahoo, is interested in selling it. Since the adult content ban went into effect, it’s become nothing more than an expense.
Enter Pornhub, stage left, which has emerged as a very interested potential buyer, with the goal of removing the ban and freeing users to post sexually explicit images and videos.
“Tumblr was a safe haven for those who wanted to explore and express their sexuality, adult entertainment aficionados included,” Pornhub Vice President Corey Price told BuzzFeed News. “We’ve long been dismayed that such measures were taken to eradicate erotic communities on the platform, leaving many individuals without an asylum through which they could comfortably peruse adult content.”
“There are obvious synergies between the two brands and value Pornhub could derive from Tumblr,” Price continued. “We’re extremely interested in acquiring the platform and are very much looking forward to one day restoring it to its former glory with NSFW content.”
The prohibition of adult content on Tumblr was met with immediate criticism from artists and photographers in the LGBTQ community, who felt the move would disproportionately affect queer people. Artist Courtney Trouble criticized the ban, saying it affects “queer and trans users by taking away a vital social component to a community that is bound together by their sexual orientation and sexual desire. Without social media that allows this kind of exploration, we are losing a lot.”
While no official offer has been made, Tumblr’s chances of being relevant again just increased exponentially.
Dan Tracer is a queer writer, handstand enthusiast, and lover of all Kaytranada remixes. Find him on Instagram.
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