LGBT customers of popular online store Amazon.com are upset that gay-themed books are suddenly labeled 'adult' and are being left off sales ranking listings. Gay writer Mark Probst writes on his blog: "Many of us decided to write to Amazon questioning why our rankings had disappeared. Most received evasive replies from customer service reps not versed in what was happening. As I am a publisher and have an Amazon Advantage account through which I supply Amazon with my books, I had a special way to contact them. "24 hours later I had a response: 'In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude 'adult' material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature.' Other gay-themed novels which have also lost their ranking on the website include well-known titles Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs, Maurice by E.M. Forster, and National Book Award winner Becoming a Man by Paul Monette. Well over 6,000 people have so far signed a petition stating their objection to Amazon's 'adult' policy.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Monday, 13th April 2009 - 3:12pm