Hunter Athena

NAME: Hunter Athena
PLATFORM & USERNAME: Instagram & TikTok @Prairie.Queer
CENSORSHIP: Shadow & content ban

What reason was given for your ban?

My content gets shadowbanned in general because I’m fat, disabled, nonbinary & LGBTQ+ but my content gets removed “for nudity” aka being fat and existing in a fat body.

Why do you think your post(s) was censored?

Generally having more skin present flags the systems to remove our content which is inherently fatphobic.

Were you able to appeal and what was the response?

I’ve tried every time and I always get denied but there’s no way to appeal a shadow ban and I’m perpetually shadow banned at this point.

What effect has your experience of censorship had on you?

I haven’t had growth in almost a year on my account and my engagement rate has plummeted, I’m getting messages constantly that people aren’t seeing my content or even worse that IG took it upon themselves to have them unfollow me.

What’s one thing you want people to know about this topic?

We need social media to systematically change. We need to collectively fight against censorship and push back on them so hard that they change the systems in place that oppress marginalized folks.