Is Facebook Homophobic?

Facebook, also lovingly known as F*c*book or FuckFace, is a social networking site located in the U.S.A. with 1.28 billion monthly active users worldwide (March 2014).

I have been using FuckFace on and off, both in my first and second lives, for the last four years or so. I have left Facebook voluntarily twice and I have had my account deactivated or disabled six-seven times (I lost count). Twice Facebook has given me a reason for deactivating/disabling my account ("reason to believe that I was not using real name"), but mostly it has been done without any justification given for their action.

During my time on FuckFace I have experienced several pogroms from the company directed against my LGBT friends, but no such actions have ever - to my knowledge - occurred against any of my straight friends. Neither have I ever heard or read of such concerted actions directed against straight SecondLife avatars on the site (with two individual exceptions, Barcelonamaria and Pieni).

If anyone of you reading this have such information, please do enlighten me as I realize that my knowledge is only empirical, limited and may be slanted ("With eyes sensitive to green", as a line in a Swedish song goes, ones perception of the color green is enhanced but other colors may be obscured.)

However, based on my experience, I am prepared to make the charge that FuckFace is homophobic - or at the very least - applying it's rules in a homophobic way. So my answer to the question I posed in the title of this post is: "Fuck yes, definitely!"

Moving on to another of my pet peeves concerning FuckFace, there is the issue of "real identities". The company seems to completely ignore that there many times are valid reasons for someone not to use the name on their drivers licences. These reasons can range from being a victim in an abusive relationship to actually being better known in different times or circles under a "nom de plume" (pen name), alias or artistic name.

During my online existence over the last twenty years I have, besides Bock McMillan, during periods been best known as Markus Bock, LundaMats, WWW, Lunds nästkåtaste karl or 70244 (among others).

I am Bock McMillan and Bock McMillan is I. We are one and inseparable, the only difference is that one is better known in one of my lives, while the other is better know in the other life. It should be my decision which of my names I use and when, not FuckFaces.

Tomais Waves His Wand...

"Expecto Patronum!" by Tomais Ashdene

My precious, geeky and sweet husband Tomais is a big fan of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. Here he is casting a spell to invoke his patronus.

Can you see which animal it is? I had to guess several times before Tomais told me...

Speedtest

Seriously F*c*book?!

At the very least Tomais account is disabled at the moment, and why F*c*book would do this when he is registered under his first life identity is a mystery.

As Sister Roma of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence said, when F*c*book forced her to change her name to her real identity (Michael Williams): "Here’s a newsflash for you, FB: There are a million reasons why someone would choose to self-identify with a name other than the one that’s printed on their birth certificate. And really, it’s absolutely none of your business in the first place."

Like Moths To A Flame

I don't consider myself to be that much to look at in my first life, but recent incidents on my daily train travels between my work and home seem to indicate that I now have suddenly become attractive to certain sections of the gay or bisexual male population who are roughly half my age.

A beautiful Cecropia Moth

Twice in the last two weeks I have been hit upon by quite handsome and much younger men. I think they must have a weird kink for middle-age men and I certainly don't feel particularly tempted to engage.

The incidents remind me of something my best friend, a straight man, told me recently about an encounter he had with a woman half his age.

My friend has always been popular among the ladies for his good looks and charming ways. He is single at the moment and was out on the town where he happened to meet a young woman in a bar. She supposedly hit on him really hard so after a few drinks and some talk they went back to my friends place for some heterosexual fornication.

All went exceedingly well at first up until the woman suddenly started telling him "F*ck me, you dirty old bastard!" and other things referring to his much older age. He confessed that he was so badly shocked by the verbal abuse that he completely lost the ability to continue performing.

Even though I may have reached an age that fulfills some younger men's kinky desires, I know I would not like to perceive myself - or being perceived by others, let alone someone I am having sex with - as a dirty or old man.  I don't think I will give in to their alluring charm, at least not without careful consideration. Besides, I have always been more attracted to men who are roughly the same age as I am.

Internet Slowdown Day

Today is Internet Slowdown Day, learn more about it at Battle for the Net.