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Why Is Amazon Delisting LGBT Books for Being Too 'Adult'?

Yesterday, author Mark R. Probst noticed that Amazon has been pulling the sales rank numbers from many LGBT books.
April 13, 2009  |  
 
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Yesterday, author Mark R. Probst noticed that Amazon has been pulling the sales rank numbers from many LGBT books. When Probst wrote to Amazon about the issue, he received this 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.

Jezebel has a long list of the books that have been delisted, which fall into a wide range of categories. However, the LGBT books excluded include Nathan Frank’s “well-reviewed empirical analysis of military policy,” “Unfriendly Fire,” and a biography of Ellen DeGeneres. Books remaining include the biography of straight porn star Ron Jeremy and “A Parent’s Guide To Preventing Homosexuality.” Jessica Valenti, whose book “Full Frontal Feminisism” has also been delisted, has more here.

Update: An Amazon spokesperson told Publishers and Weekly that "a glitch had occurred in its sales ranking feature that was in the process of being fixed. The spokesperson added that there was no new adult policy."

Amanda Terkel is Deputy Research Director at the Center for American Progress and serves as Deputy Editor for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress.

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