Deleting my journal on 6/6/6
To remind people that I am deleting my journal from noon UTC on Monday 5th June (the beginning of Tuesday as it dawns along the International Date Line) to noon UTC on Wednesday 7th June (the end of Tuesday as the world rolls).

I have an account on greatestjournal and any of you are welcome to join me there. Ask my characters a question! G'wan. So far only Father Mulcahy and Hawkeye have been asked, and the others are all staring out the window, pretending not to feel left out.

This is a one-day protest - Step Apart from Six Apart on 6/6/6.

Further info about the strike here:
http://purpletigron.livejournal.com/417840.html

My personal reasons for joining the strike here:
http://janecarnall.livejournal.com/63807.html

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Those interested in this campaign should check out the campaign site on greatest journal http://bfistd.greatestjournal.com/ which is where all the links for follow up are.

We want:

1. SixApart to change FAQ 111 back to its pre-May 20th wording.

Before 20th May 2006, Livejournal's FAQ explaining the TOS for default userpics said: "In particular, icons that are graphically sexual or violent in nature tend to be inappropriate for default userpics."

Sometime on Saturday 20th May, someone changed FAQ 111 so that it read "In particular, icons which contain nudity or graphic violence tend to be inappropriate for default userpics."

This appears to have been done to justify a suspension notice sent to cali4niachef by "Eric from LJ Abuse" on Friday 19th May. (The suspension notice was triggered by [info]troll (not his real username), annoyed at getting an LJ Abuse warning for one of his icons, deciding to cause trouble by "targeting [people from various] communities: they were the most likely to give LJA fits and fight back. Good on ye, ladies."

Summary: Nothing in the LiveJournal TOS justifies banning pics of women breastfeeding children or babies: the person who triggered the change in FAQ 111 did not complain to LJ Abuse because he was offended but because he wanted to cause trouble - and he has publicly admitted this: FAQ 111 appears to have been changed only and solely to justify a suspension notice that should never have been sent in the first place. It should be changed back.

2. SixApart should make a public acknowledgement - in FAQ 111, in the TOS or on their website - that they support breastfeeding; and that a image of a woman breastfeeding a child is a perfectly appropriate default icon, regardless of how much nipple or areola can be seen.

According to dougbryan, VP of Business Operations at SixApart: LiveJournal is in no way against breastfeeding or breastfeeding mothers. We salute your dedication to raising happy, healthy children.

There are many reasons why women don't breastfeed, or don't breastfeed for long: but one reason is that breastfeeding is far too often regarded as something inappropriate for public view. Women who breastfeed in public are sometimes sidelined, sometimes outright harassed (politely or rudely).

"When you discourage women from breastfeeding outside the home, you encourage them to quit sooner."

In a small way - just 100 pixels by 100 pixels - SixApart have chosen the side of those who think that breastfeeding in public is indecent or offensive. This is the wrong side, if SixApart "is in no way against breastfeeding or breastfeeding mothers".

3. SixApart should reverse the suspensions of all LiveJournal accounts tbat LJ Abuse have suspended because of a default icon showing a woman breastfeeding.

Let these few weeks have been an aberration that we can all forget about once it's over. 1. Change FAQ 111 back to what it was; 2. Make clear that SixApart supports breastfeeding; 3. Unsuspend accounts that should never have been suspended, and let's move on and forget about it.
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Step Apart from SixApart on 06/06/06: Because breastfeeding is not indecent, but LiveJournal's tuptotrephophobic treatment of breastfeeding mothers is.