Nipplegate

Nipplegate was an early Livejournal non-fandom wank that mostly involved the breastfeeding community. It was noticed and picked up by several outside blogs and eventually caused a recodifying of the Livejournal TOS.
==Livejournal enforces "no nudity in default icons"==
==Breastfeeding icons targeted==
On May 19, 2006, Livejournal user Cali4niachef was told by someone from the Livejournal Abuse team that she had to change her default icon, which showed an image of a baby being breastfed, or face suspension.Boob Nazis - icon; archive link, by Cali4niachef. "someone informed the Live Jounal Abuse team my default icon is "inappropriate". i have to stop using it as my default icon by 23rd or my journal will be suspended." Posted May 19, 2006. Accessed February 9, 2012. In response to user complaints from Cali4niachef's fellow members of the Boob Nazi community, a member of the Abuse team further clarified that U.S. and California laws exempting breastfeeding from indecency laws did not apply to Livejournal, as mothers were not actually breastfeeding on Livejournal itself.Boob Nazis - icon, comment by Raving_liberal. "So, LiveJournal places breastfeeding in the same category of sexually explicit and graphically violent materials, as outlined in your TOS for default icons? That's a very interesting policy, and an unfortunate one. I'll be sure to pass this information along." Posted May 20, 2006. Accessed February 9, 2012.
The discussion quickly moved to broader controversies over breastfeeding; specifically, the social stigma in parts of the U.S. that had prevented many women from breastfeeding in public and had caused campaigns to enact specific laws protecting breastfeeding mothers and their children. Cali4niachef responded to Livejournal Abuse:
To which a Livejournal Abuse team member responded:
As one pro-breastfeeding website put it: 
Another fan wrote: 
==Reactions==
In the comments, many users pointed out that the original icon contained a very obstructed view of the user's breast, as the nursing child was in the way. Later, a gallery was posted by ProMoM to display images that ProMom said were now banned by Livejournal's changing of the TOS to read "nudity or graphic violence", where before it had read "sexually explicit or graphically violent".LiveJournal tells lactating mums to put 'em away, by Lester Haines. The Register. Posted June 1, 2006. Accessed February 9, 2012.
The backlash from this controversy caused some users to quit Livejournal entirelyStickytop post..., by Janecarnall. "This does come down to stubbornness, in the end. I'm not especially attached to this default icon: I put it up in solidarity with breastfeeding mothers, friends and nonfriends, who were being harassed because they were using pics of something very central of their lives. I put it up because I believe in public support for public breastfeeding. I put it up because I didn't like LJ Abuse changing their rules to support a hasty, stupid decision by one of their volunteers, and then claiming the rule had never changed." Accessed February 9, 2012., foreshadowing the later reaction to Strikethrough. The incident was mentioned in high-profile blogs and news sites, eventually making its way to Wikipedia itself.Making Light: LiveJournal’s attack on women and mothers, by Patrick. Posted May 31, 2006. Accessed February 9, 2012.Livejournal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Accessed February 9, 2012. The controversy also reached Fandom_Wank's otf_report three separate times, and later received its own entry on the Fandom_wank wiki.Breastfeeding - Fandom wank wiki. Accessed February 9, 2012. Along the way, the name "Nipplegate" was coined, though it did not see universal adoption.
Livejournal issued an apology in the original community, stating that:
Two years later, Livejournal's policy was finally clarified: breastfeeding images would be allowed as default icons.LJ Policy - Conclusions. 
==See also==
*Female-Presenting Nipples
==References==
Category:Scandals
Category:2006 Events