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By Jason Murdock
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As Pride events take place around the world in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, Instagram has apologized for removing an image by a professional photographer that shows two men kissing. The image-based social network initially said it had broken its community guidelines.
The picture was uploaded by U.K.-based photographer Stella Asia Consonni on July 30, showing an intimate moment between Jordan Bowen and Luca Lucifer, but was later removed without warning.
"If you violate our guidelines again, your account may be restricted or disabled," Instagram warned in a notice that Consonni later posted online alongside the statement: "Still a long way to go." The portraits, published on i-D magazine's website, are part of an ongoing project that is set to be exhibited later this year. The Facebook-owned platform re-uploaded the picture on Sunday, Consonni told Newsweek.
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According to Instagram, the photograph had been taken offline by mistake. "This post was removed in error and we are sorry," a spokesperson told Newsweek, adding: "It has since been reinstated."
Yet under the artistic picture remains a slew of offensive comments, and Consonni told the BBC that she had received "hate messages" for posting it in the first place. The story was given a major signal boost by Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall, who condemned the removal of the post.
A post shared by Stella Asia Consonni ✨ (@stellaasiaconsonni) on Jun 29, 2018 at 10:30am PDT
Consonni told Newsweek she was "very grateful" for support, including from Thirlwall and Vogue Italia photo editor Chiara Nonino. "It made me think that maybe our world is not completely rotten," she said. But the photographer, currently residing in London, said she was shocked by what had happened.
"When I found out that it was removed I was outraged and angry," she said. "My thoughts went straight to Jordan and Luca that posed for the image, I could only imagine how they would feel.
"Last night my image reappeared on my account and this morning I have received an email from Instagram with a brief apology and explanation of what happened, it was deleted due to 'an error.'
"This doesn't really change much though, I think it's just a very tiny part of a much deeper issue. I really hope that this small event will help to raise awareness.
"No one should ever feel frowned upon for kissing his or her partner."
Bowen said on his own Instagram profile that his relationship had been "reduced to a Community Guideline." He wrote: "Instagram spoon feeds us with rainbows and hashtags to appear in solidarity but it seems real people in love have no place here. This is discriminatory and archaic and violates our right as a couple. Please help us share and put this right. Oh and #happypride everyone."
On June 1, the platform touted its Pride credentials, claiming to be "a home for diverse youth activism and expression." It rolled out a rainbow background feature and boosted LGBTQ+ hashtags to encourage users to "discover…the photos and videos from people throughout the community."
Instagram has said it reviews millions of reports a week and acknowledged that sometimes content is removed by mistake.
"We want Instagram to continue to be an authentic and safe place for inspiration and expression," it states on its website. "Help us foster this community. Post only your own photos and videos and always follow the law. Respect everyone on Instagram, don't spam people or post nudity."
The platform declined to answer further questions about the internal moderation process that impacted Consonni's post. Instagram says that it currently has more than 800 million monthly active users.
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