DISQUS

Ken · 8 months ago

Call Amazon Customer Service NOW and respectfully give them your opinion. They are receiving many, many calls. 800-201-7575

ryan · 7 months ago

since when does amazon have a customer service number that is reachable, i once bought a game bundle only to get the game, and no one i could complain too.

Jake Lockley · 8 months ago

So what? It's their bookstore they can sell what they want and promote what they want how they want. If you don't like it take your business elsewhere and/or start your own bookstore. It's called a free market, meaning you have alternatives as long as facists don't take away your freedom to promote and sell what you want.

christi · 8 months ago

Yes, they can promote and sell what they want but we as consumers can let them know that we don't agree with their practices by sending emails and/or canceling accounts. Policies are greatly affected by public opinion.

Mike Templeton · 8 months ago

We've tabulated over 21,000 mentions of #amazonfail on Twitter so far (as of this writing). Our wiki page for the hashtag is also continuing to grow with lists of links about this story as it all unfolds.

http://wthashtag.com/wiki/amazonfail

It will be interesting to see how Amazon reacts to all of this. Definitely not something I'd want to deal with on a Monday morning.

ed · 8 months ago

This is not an accusation. It is a fact. Amazon HAS removed books of a sexual nature, often gay, from their rankings. I have provided direct links and screenshots in my post here:

http://www.edrants.com/amazonfail-a-call-to-boy...

Meo · 8 months ago

LGBT books that have lost sales ranking include non-fiction titles such as "Making Gay History" Note that the Kindle edition still has a sales ranking. Sales ranking was removed from Paperback edition.

antonlash · 8 months ago

Non-story. Amazon can do whatever it wants with its sales rankings. They are still selling the books. This is an example of people making a fuss just to make a fuss and promote their own book. Non-issue, in my opinion.

EvilSlutClique · 8 months ago

It's an issue when the sales rankings are tied to the search function, creating really misleading and confusing search results. For example, the #1 search result for "homosexuality" is now a book called A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality, and at least three of the top 10 search results are about "healing" or "preventing" homosexuality. Seems like a whole lot of books had to be removed from the search function to create that result.

Marlin Forbes · 8 months ago

Try searching for 'gay'... lots and lots of gay movies...

jccalhoun · 7 months ago

Yes they can do whatever they want. That doesn't mean that we have to just sit back and be quiet while they do it. We can complain about the segregation and seemingly arbitrary nature of the books being delisted.

bloggeronline.net · 8 months ago

Amazon can do whatever it wants with its sales rankings

hillary hartley · 7 months ago

Sales ranking is quantifiable and their whole search system is based around it. To claim "they can do whatever they want, it's their system," is just silly. If they de-ranked all female authors so that no books written by women showed up in search results would you say the same?

Robert Basil · 7 months ago

It would not be fair in my opinion (just like the current de-listing of LBGT books), but it IS well within Amazon's right to do. Don't like it, feel free to take your business elsewhere.

pickwick · 8 months ago

Actually, lots of members of the "human" community are taking exception to this. You don't have to be LBGT to find this offensive and discriminatory.

Facebook User · 8 months ago

I agree! I am straight but not narrow! And i hate censorship... just learning about this one, but sounds like another case of puritanical values dictating "What's Hot and What's Not".

Matt Hardwick · 8 months ago

event:url=http://bit.ly/bbZTk LOL They really are not helping themselves.

Matt Hardwick · 8 months ago

http://bit.ly/bbZTk LOL They really are not helping themselves.

Σχολή Χορού · 8 months ago

Deanna has a point It's all "sexual" content. As for me even if it was a fact i agree.

pickwick · 8 months ago

When a collection of Playboy centrefolds hasn't been touched but Heather Has Two Mommies has, it's not about "sexual" content...

randomdeanna · 8 months ago

Yeah, that's a big sticking point in feminist communities online right now. Feminist books are definitely being removed in general-- check out @JessicaValenti's tweet about her first book, "Full Frontal Feminism."

Winnie · 7 months ago

If it were all adult content, straight and gay, I could respect that, but even a book on suicide prevention (which happens to have a transgender author), books on sex education and non-erotic gay novels are being de-ranked. I can't wait to hear what they have to say for themselves.

Daniel Tunkelang · 8 months ago

I can't help put wonder if this is related to their recent girl scout cookies incident.

http://thenoisychannel.com/2009/03/30/a-blooper...

Russell Borogove · 8 months ago

Daniel Tunkelang -- it's not related to the recent "girl scout cookies" incident; I read a report of it happening as far back as February. Apparently some Amazon customer service reps are claiming delistings are due to book specific complaints, which strongly suggests that some person or people are systematically filing complaints about LGBT and feminist books.

Deanna, fuentedance -- a few minutes of looking at what's actually being de-listed shows that racy hetero stuff for the most part isn't getting hit, but non-racy gay, lesbian, and even feminist material is getting delisted. Amazon is claiming a policy of delisting "adult" material, but the facts simply don't support that claim under any reasonable definition of "adult".

RickyDee · 8 months ago

I have canceled my Amazon.com account. My wallet says thank you.

Stars · 8 months ago

It's not just "some members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community" taking exception - I'm straight and highly offended at the bias involved here, and I emailed Amazon to tell them so.

I think maybe Jon Stewart should have Jeff Bezos back on The Daily Show to explain... :-p

nicole · 8 months ago

hey,
not just the lgbt community is protesting this, and it's not just lgbt books being banned.
feminist titles, titles dealing with people with dissabilities, stuff like that is un-ranked as well.
it's hideous that they're doing this; I hope they lose a hell of a lot of money.

gypsy_genie · 8 months ago

Shame on Amazon if this is what they are doing. What year is this??

ReTweet · 8 months ago

LOL 2 amazon kindle ads on this blog post. Gotta love it

randomdeanna · 8 months ago

"This is not a glitch:" http://www.lilithsaintcrow.com/journal/2009/04/... (via @womanistmusings)

julian · 8 months ago

I am debating canceling my amazon creditcard...

Facebook User · 8 months ago

what a pitiful shame. i use those search results & expect them to be an accurate---not filtered to exclude a book that contains the phrase “and that night they were not divided” because amazon thinks that is explicit, for example. effing ABSURD. to think, they paid employees to complete this task. what a waste of time & a waste of money. just when i think we could not possibly do more to oppress the LGBT community AND HUMANITY, for that matter, i am surprised & disappointed. i am heterosexual & i view these offenses as those against HUMANITY. i simply expect a semblance of...gawd...SENSE. in the name of progress, way to be a shining example of the exact opposite, amazon.

chris · 7 months ago

I don't think Amazon has done anything wrong, why shouldn't they put these books in the adult section. It seems to me that Amazon are only trying to protect the young and innocent, from unsafe meterial.

I have no problem with, gays and lesbians apart from the fact that it seems to me that they are trying to influence young people to follow thier path. Protection of the young is vital in order to have a balance society.

Detoxing the only way to a healthy life

Julia · 7 months ago

Wow, just no? That's just like saying "Oh, homeosexuals and bisexuals can't have kids because they would encourage them to be homosexual or bisexual." News flash: Only 3% (or a number around there, but it's at -most- 5%) of adolescents who have homosexual or bisexual parents in the United States are or 'become' homosexuals or bisexuals themselves.

Maybe if they're led by a religious person, or several people...But that's really not 'adult' content. You should leave things such as that on the public search because hey, people don't just want to know how to 'cure' homosexuality (such a stupid concept). It's the same thing as being racist or sexist...Which we wouldn't stand for either. Hopefully you wouldn't.

It's true that they have every right to do it, but this isn't a communist world and we can vent our frustrations and state our disapproval of it as much as we want in hopes that maybe they will venture into the 21st century with us and see that it is prejudice and an overall stupid business decision.

Geoffrey Bernardo Van Wyk · 7 months ago

Good for Amazon!

Jackie Huba · 7 months ago

Rundown of the customer revolt vial social media of #AmazonFAIL is here http://bit.ly/dQtVX -

Lyndsey · 7 months ago

What is going on with people these days that they would resort to this stupidity of de-listing these books ? I understand that if there are complaints made then some sort of action should be made but as I read these comments it seems that this random act was made with no thought or explanation ? I will definately be keeping an eye out to see how Amazon get themselves outta this hole .

Σχολή Χορού · 7 months ago

@ Jumi Pak Whats against HUMANITY as you say is a boy with to moms or dads or whatever like that
@ Geoffrey Van Wyk I agree!

Gadget Sleuth · 7 months ago

It sounds as if its sexual books in general, not necessarily just gay books. More attempts to obfuscate with bias and agenda.

Hadcat · 7 months ago

Gay books along with anything that is immoral or sick should never be allowed.
Since Child Molesters and Gays share the same kind of mental illness, supporting either of these is equal and should never be allowed!

scantron · 7 months ago

you are kidding right? i sure hope so, or you are an extremely unintelligent human being.

franciscocm · 7 months ago

amazon was not very clever

Beth · 7 months ago

Actually, I've checked this as I've worked with some adult film stars that wanted to know the sales rankings on their movies and books... and to be honest, they didn't show... They arent trying to victimize homosexual people... at least I don't think so. They are more or less trying to reach equality between homosexual and heterosexual adult entertainment.

amazon coupons · 3 months ago

i don't think so...