feeling vey annoyed

[Samantha uk]

You only have to spend a short time on this forum to learn how much difficulty and heart ache Crossdressing can cause couples and families, so I have recently started making youtube videos to try and move the whole Crossdressing conversation forward a little. I have just published my next video which has got some shots of me walking around in female clothing with text graphics over the top stating some facts and opinions about crossdressing with helpful links in the description, including to this forum.

There is no sexual connotation, provocative imagery or controversial statements and yet within 24hrs a viewer has flagged it as inappropriate which triggers someone at youtube to review the video and then they decided to take it down stating that it doesn't meet with there Community guidelines. I've attached some screen shots to try and get across the tone of the video. I have appealed their decision and I'm waiting to see if it will be reinstated but you can imagine how I feel about it.

Can anyone see from the images how I might of offended anyone because I'm at a loss!
287529
287530
287531
287532
287533

[Pat]

There are people who find the existence of crossdressers/transgender people offensive. And anyone with a YouTube account can flag a video as offensive. It's a problem all content creators have to deal with. Complaining here won't help, but if you go look around for support from the content creator community they might be able to give you some tips.

[Samantha uk]

There are people who find the existence of crossdressers/transgender people offensive. And anyone with a YouTube account can flag a video as offensive. It's a problem all content creators have to deal with. Complaining here won't help, but if you go look around for support from the content creator community they might be able to give you some tips.

I'm not looking for help from here, I'm looking for peoples opinions about how I might of offended someone

[Lana Mae]

I personally do not find it offensive but there are the ones out there who would! It is BS that it was taken down and all the hate crap is allowed to stay up! Hugs Lana Mae

[CD_DIANE]

Hi Samantha,

I have looked at your videos and saw nothing offensive. That being said, there are many people in the world who are uncomfortable seeing anyone who is not like THEM ! They are either the gold standard for people (in their mind !) OR they feel threatened by the differences. Most of the people who complain hide behind the anonymity of being "someone" who complained. I don't know if Youtube has anyone you can talk with to get guidance or if they merely go with trying to please the unnamed masses.

What you do is done tastefully but there will always be fools and cowards; especially if they can hide who they are.

Hugs,
Diane

[Samantha uk]

Hi Diane
It's more than that though isn't it. I'm fine that some people find it difficult and that they would want express their right to flag content but the fact that someone in a position of responsibility at youtube then decides it doesn't meet their guidelines seems to be wrong to me

[~Joanne~]

You offend them because you exist. WE Exist. Like Pat said, it doesn't take much for anyone with a youtube account to flag another account because they didn't like the subject matter. Youtube has been a hot mess for a long time now because of advertisers pulling out, their biggest "stars" doing the dumbest things, and quite frankly I think they want the content but don't want to pay anyone any more for it.

Youtube has a strangle hold on everyone that uses them to host videos. Without any REAL competition, they do what they please whether it is justified or not. I am pretty sure there are "Monopoly laws" that is suppose to keep these things from happening but as we see the law doesn't work unless it's in their favor. Look at Disney and what they are doing, look at EA and what they do, the proof is in the pudding.

Hopefully they will over turn their systems decision because it was a system that took it down, not a real person.

[Stacy Darling]

Firstly I love your outfit!

A good legal team could pick a picture to pieces if it is not as clean as a whistle! Or they don't like you!

Picture 3 has expressing his feminine side written below a guy looking at cars as a woman walks away! So the guy is the subject?
Picture 4 has a disabled sign between 5 different gender identities, then there is the child in the background! If this one were a picture search, a woman, adult, child, disabled and a car driver would amount to the 5 with gender issues!

They can twist your meanings and shut you down!

Stacy!

[Samantha uk]

Hopefully they will over turn their systems decision because it was a system that took it down, not a real person.

no thats the problem, I looked at youtubes process, someone at youtube views flagged content and then manually decides to take it down for whatever reason. You can then appeal that decision. Thats the bit tht I find annoying, that a person in a position of responsibility at youtube can view this type of content as more offensive than Logan Paul showing a suicide victim in a forest




Firstly I love your outfit!
thanks Stacy

[Sabrina.K]

Youtube is a cesspool. You can watch videos of people killing themselves, but anything to do with sexuality is off limits.

Basically some teenage edgelord got triggered by your video and reported it.

The strange part is that someone on Youtube reviewed it and agreed. Which is the part that confuses me. Google and Youtube present themselves as progressive and accepting. There must be something else going on here.

[Samantha uk]

There must be something else going on here.
well lets see once the appeal has been reviewed

[CONSUELO]

Firstly congratulations on how you are dressed and present yourself. Second, congratulations on trying to do a public service.

I don't visit YouTube often and for many years I have been very wary of Google, Facebook,Twitter etc. I think they have unwittingly become the new thought police. We have become what George Orwell wrote about in 1984 but not because of big government. Instead we have big corporations with invasive technology that have allowed the censorious to create a new inquisition.
That is why I am not a member of Facebook or Twitter and while I use Google's search engine I despise it and its founders.

[Tracii G]

I think its the 5 gender identities pic.
We all know that is a hot button for a lot of people because all they know is there are only 2 male and female.
Plus there are license plates showing and in some cases that will get a video flagged.
Honestly going on you tube and trying to change the world seems a lost cause at best.
Just be yourself and live your life and not try to be a crusader or a Joan Of Arc of the TG community.
I have had videos flagged over stupid stuff mostly sporting arms related because a person hates the fact I have items like that.
You tube used to be great for creators to make money but now most of them have gone to Patreon so maybe you should try over there.

[Isabella Ross]

Disagree with Tracii G. Way to go for taking a stand, and trying to do something positive. I think your review will turn out positive...please let us know.

[Samantha uk]

Disagree with Tracii G. Way to go for taking a stand, and trying to do something positive. I think your review will turn out positive...please let us know.

thank you Isabella, I'm sure I won't change the world but even if my little vids make it easier for one person to overcome the self loathing that I had, then I will be happy. Plus it gives me a reason to push myself in to more and more public places. Jeez I do find it scary sometimes x

[Helen_Highwater]

Samantha,

It's ludicrous that terrorist training and recruitment videos sit there for ages before being taken down yet something designed and intended to be informative about an activity that's perfectly legal gets the axe.

Can I ask, when you appealed did you request a full and detailed explanation firstly for their initially removing it and what you could do to meet their guidelines so the video could be shown. I think they'd be on shaky ground as I've seen many vids on there very similar to yours in terms of video picture content that have had thousands of views and remained there for years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvKN48uTrp4

I wonder how they'd respond if you said you'd obtained the services of a no-win no fee lawyer and were taking them to court under the sexual discrimination act?

[Teresa]

Samantha,
There is no logic to social media sites ,as we know from the different aspects , on one side openly allowing child abuse to be shown to the way terrorists can influence others.

The objections raised on your videos are totally illogical , all I can say is keep plugging at them and raising your counter objections . In different circumstances I raised objections to a series of commercials to the advertising agency , they are duty bound to reply .

I find going out and meeting the public and just talking to them is a good way of putting our message across or you could attend pride meetings to chat with people or even show your videos .

[Stephanie47]

I don't know how many videos are taken down under these circumstances. I've watched some of your videos and others of a similar nature and found nothing offensive about them. There are so many videos on Youtube depicting transformations, crossdressing boyfriend with girlfriend, crossdressers in bondage, etc. I'm surprised anyone would flag any of your videos. It may be someone who has decided to make it his or her mission in life to object to any crossdresser videos.

Yes, there are politicians and clergy who object to anything outside of heterosexual marriage and "straight" sex. Perhaps adding the wordage caused them to combat any reference to the real issues concerning transgender issues. I would conjecture those person would rather see transgender issues be limited to the sordid website depicting explicit sexual activity to firm up their opinion that transgender issues are "morally wrong."

I hope your appeal is successful. I would demand a reason as to why the video was deemed in a negative light.

[carolyn todd]

Hi Samantha
perhaps some one is upset that you have been able to dressing, go out in public in the day time in such a short space of time
for me i say well done there are many more will say the same well done, must do more.
let us know what the out come is. but don;t stop doing the videos.

Carolyn

[Leslie Langford]

Well, Samantha, Youtube is owned by Google which is a U.S.-based company, and given the current political climate there, the "haters" have been given tacit approval to emerge from their rat-holes and spew their venom by a President who has most certainly lowered the bar in that respect. It is therefore no wonder that they are starting to exert an undue influence on the media and are often in a position to shut down conversations promoting diversity, equality, tolerance, and indeed - even those basic human rights that don't conform to their world view.

That said, what I find puzzling in this regard - although it is a "good" thing from our perspective - is the number of other videos relating to transgender issues...crossdressing videos, transition stories, makeup tutorials aimed at our community, Youtube "stars" such as Gigi Gorgeous and Jeffree Star with massive followings and dedicated Youtube channels etc. that are still alive and well on that site.

Makes you wonder if the left hand really knows what the right hand is doing there, how subjective their policies are as to what is acceptable and what is not, and to what extent they are subjected to undue external pressures regarding what goes and what stays on Youtube.

[docrobbysherry]

Samantha, it could be worse! They deleted my entire 10 y/o FB Page a year ago because Friend(s) complained about me showing rubber nipples! :doh:

U have to realize as I did, that there weren't real people involved in their decision. After a certain number of complaints it's something they do automatically!

I suspect your videos will be restored after a human looks at them. Which is probably what's taking so long!:straightface:

[Aunt Kelly]

I'm not looking for help from here, I'm looking for peoples opinions about how I might of offended someone
Pat is right. If you had mentioned the transgendered in any kind of positive light, some jerk would've flagged it. There's no getting away from it.

[Marianne S]

Leslie, I'm guessing that you may not have been keeping up with the news about Google. Or maybe they didn't publish it up there in Canada. Anyway, though I certainly sympathize with Samantha's problem, it has nothing to do with Americans in general or our President in particular, and more to the point, I'm sure it has nothing to do with Google's corporate policies either.

I say this with some confidence because Google is a notably left-leaning company. That's well known to anyone familiar with the widely reported recent furor over their former employee James Damore's memo. Anyone interested can read about that in Wikipedia, among other places:

Google's Ideological Echo Chamber (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google%27s_Ideological_Echo_Chamber)

So while Google is certainly guilty of suppressing free speech and censoring views they don't like, their bias is such that they'd be very unlikely to censor or suppress a totally inoffensive video like Samantha's on ideological grounds.

I should make it clear that I don't work for Google, I have no financial interest in the company, and no interest in defending them for the sake of doing so. I'm only posting this to get the facts straight and put the blame where it most likely belongs. My suspicion is that it was just some bigoted individual screening the videos on YouTube who was responsible for taking it down, or anyway someone on staff who overreacted to a complaint. There's far too much hypersensitivity these days when somebody whines about being "offended" by some triviality. Anyway we'll see. I hope Samantha can get it sorted out with their staff.

[Stephanie Julianna]

With all the explicit stuff on youtube I can't fathom what they find offensive with your videos.

[alwayshave]

Some people are offended by other people breathing. I watched your video and there was nothing offensive. Big corporations don't want to deal with complaints. I am sorry this happened to you.

[Cassandra Lynn]

You can watch videos of people killing themselves, but anything to do with sexuality is off limits.



Ummm what??
YouTube is the soft-core porn channel of choice for millions.

This is just absolutely nuts; but I tend to agree with what a few have hinted at. Some zealot objected and it got to the right person or person's ear and down it went. I also think you need to be given some explanation and a chance to actually speak with someone about this.

Like has been said; crossdressing and trans stuff is fairly well represented so if anything maybe your's was just too 'in your face' or too political?

[Julia1984]

Extraordinary. And clearly wrong.
What jurisdiction governs YouTube? I'm guessing US ( no I never read the T&C s when I set any of my multiple accounts up, despite being a lawyer).
I would suggest that if this reflects a policy, then that policy may Well be unconstitutional. I seem to recall there is something about freedom of speech in that majestic document. If I were you I'd be asking for a reasoned written explanation. But then I am feeling quite bolshie tonight.
Julia

[CaseyAdams]

Hi Samantha,

While it would be best if you could get the video(s) posted on YouTube, have you looked into any other outlets, like https://vimeo.com/ or DailyMotion? I know that I'd like to see it! :-)

Casey

[Samantha uk]

Hi Samantha,

While it would be best if you could get the video(s) posted on YouTube, have you looked into any other outlets, like https://vimeo.com/ or DailyMotion? I know that I'd like to see it! :-)

Casey

you'll see it alright because even if my appeal fails I'll upload it again and if its taken down again I'll put it on vimeo with a note saying whats happened on youtube

[Krisi]

There are dozens of crossdressing videos on youtube. Maybe hundreds. Mostly crossdressers walking to and from their cars because they don't have someone to follow them around with the camera.

The real question that hasn't been answered is, what is different about yours? Most of the others have shorter skirts and higher heels. See if you can find out what they are offended by.

In the end though, anyone who owns a website (like youtube) has the right to decide what's allowed on it and what is not. It's a lot like your own home. If a visitor says things you don't like or dresses inappropriately, you have the right to put them out.

[Shelly Preston]

Samantha

I would say we have a higher standards here than "you tube" does.

I have never seen anything offensive in any of your videos

[Eva Bella]

I really doubt that a human being at YouTube ever looked at your video. Their flagging system is most likely based on a simple algorithm. If a video gets enough flags, it’s taken down. I bet that you’ll get it reinstated if you really want to.

I’d agree with some other posters... put it on the rival sites Vimeo and Dailymotion. I think that videos like this are a huge resource, and we all owe you a debt for creating it.

And surely there’s nothing that you did to violate guidelines. Some bigoted ass with too much time on their hands decided to report all of the cross dressing videos that they see. This kind of stuff happens all of the time. I’ve had dozens of pictures deleted on FB due to reports. The reports are done by people who don’t like me.. or maybe guys who feel I should respond to their endless PM’s. And the shots in question are pics of me smiling in a dress or singing karaoke.. with not even a suggestion of nudity. No one looks at them on FB either, they just disappear.

[donnalee]

I certainly don't find anything offensive in the frames you've shown and there is something called the 1st Amendment that gives you certain rights in the US, although there are many, mostly on the left, who would like to see it disappear. Go by YouTube's process, but if there's no solution in a reasonable time, legal action may be called for.

[Krisi]

I certainly don't find anything offensive in the frames you've shown and there is something called the 1st Amendment that gives you certain rights in the US, although there are many, mostly on the left, who would like to see it disappear. Go by YouTube's process, but if there's no solution in a reasonable time, legal action may be called for.

As I mentioned above, anyone who owns a website has the right to say what can and what cannot be posted on it. It's not a First Amendment issue at all. Go back and read post #30.

[Samantha uk]

ha, well it seems youtube has relented and put my video back up although with no reason as to why. I will post it in the picture and video gallery section. If you are not a member of this forum you can find the video using the link at the bottom of this post x

[Vickie_CDTV]

Youtube is private property, the first amendment is not in play, it only prevents government censorship, on private property they can promote or ban any speech they want. That said, Google is infamously left leaning, the video was probably taken down automatically with no human intervention. There are zillions of hours of content flagged every day, they couldn't have someone watch everything that is flagged. There is also a great deal of content on Youtube about sexuality and sex education.

[foxy bartender]

Samantha, so glad they did the right thing and put your video back. It’s so not offensive, and is clearly just self expression. Thank you for making it, and being brave enough to share it with the world. As more and more of us just simply live our lives, we can maybe gain even more understanding and acceptance.

[Shelly Preston]

This is being closed as the video has been restored