Mailchimp Shuts Down AFTAH’s Paid Email Account Without Citing Specific Violation

By Peter LaBarbera, AmericansForTruth.News, 2/2/2022

The past year saw the escalating and audacious censorship of conservatives by Left-biased Big Tech corporations, culminating in Twitter’s stunning ban against President Donald Trump a year ago. Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH), too, was a target: on September 23, 2021, we received an email out of the blue from Mailchimp informing us that the email distribution company was permanently shutting down AFTAH’s paid email account, which we had had for almost a decade.

As you can see below, Mailchimp cited a general breach of its “Standard Terms of Use,” which contains a proscription of “Hateful Content” (see below), but it did not provide a specific “violation” on AFTAH’s part, i.e., an example of allegedly hateful or discriminatory content. When pressed for such an example by this writer, Mailchimp merely reiterated in a follow-up note that, “We’ve determined that we can’t support this account.”

Below is the correspondence sent by Mailchimp, which was recently acquired by Intuit, with the reply by this writer:

Original email from Mailchimp suspending AFTAH’s account:

This Mailchimp Support ticket was created on your behalf.

The Mailchimp Team (Mailchimp)

Sep 23, 2021, 9:29 AM EDT

Hello Peter,

Your Mailchimp account with the username Americansfortruth (user ID: 9610693) has been suspended for violating our Standard Terms of Use and Acceptable Use Policy. Please review our policies for more information on the types of content we don’t allow (mailchimp.com/legal/terms/).

Reply to this email with questions or for information on how to retrieve your data.

–Mailchimp

______________________

AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera’s email response:

Americans For Truth <…>
Thu, Sep 23, 2021, 11:12 AM
to Mailchimp

To Whom It May Concern at Mailchimp:

I was stunned to receive your notice today of an “Acceptable Use” violation by Americans For Truth (user ID: 9610693), leading to my suspension, as I have not even sent out an email through my Mailchimp account in at least a year. Obviously, I will need to acquire my entire mail list (please inform me how to do that), but first I would like to know exactly what constitutes my “violation.” I am extremely disappointed in Mailchimp for this communication, in which you did not even have the decency to tell me what “crime” I had committed. This is the antithesis of good service, and such maltreatment of customers is precisely why so [many] people are leaving companies like yours.

Frustrated and outraged,

Peter LaBarbera
Americans For Truth
—
Peter LaBarbera
Americans For Truth
PO Box 340743
Columbus, OH 43234

AFTAH.org
Twitter: @PeterLaBarbera

__________________________

Mailchimp’s final email response to Americans For Truth:

Mailchimp (Mailchimp)

Sep 28, 2021, 9:26 AM EDT

Hello,

Our Terms outline the acceptable use of our platform, and also state that Mailchimp may refuse service, change eligibility requirements, or suspend accounts at our discretion. We’ve determined that we can’t support this account.

You will be able to log in to your account to retrieve historical data for a period of 48 hours, at which point the account will be locked and inaccessible (mailchimp.com/help/export-back-up-data).

Please log in to retrieve your data as soon as possible.

— Mailchimp

The following is a portion of Mailchimp’s Standard Terms of Use policy relating to alleged “hateful conduct” (emphasis added). Note that given the pro-LGBTQ movement’s and allied “progressives'” penchant for conflating moral opposition with “hate,” the bolded portion on “Hateful Content” could easily provide a pretext for taking action against AFTAH, which (while eschewing all violence against and actual hatred of LGBTQ-identified persons) opposes all pro-homosexual, pro-transgender and Sexual-Left behavior and advocacy as a matter of principle:

Mailchimp doesn’t allow accounts that promote or incite harm toward others or that promote discriminatory, hateful, or harassing Content. To this end, we may suspend or terminate your account if you send a Campaign, create or manage a Site, or otherwise distribute any Content that we determine, in our sole discretion, contains either of the following:

A Threat of Physical Harm. This means any statement, photograph, advertisement, or other Content that in our sole judgment could be reasonably perceived to threaten, advocate, or incite physical harm to or violence against others.

Hateful Content. This means any statement, image, photograph, advertisement, or other Content that in our sole judgment could be reasonably perceived to harm, threaten, promote the harassment of, promote the intimidation of, promote the abuse of, or promote discrimination against others based solely on race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, disease, or immigration status.

We also may suspend or terminate your account if we determine, in our sole discretion, that you are either:

• an organization that has publicly stated or acknowledged that its goals, objectives, positions, or founding tenets include statements or principles that could be reasonably perceived to advocate, encourage, or sponsor Hateful Content or A Threat of Physical Harm;
• a person that has publicly made a comment or statement, or otherwise publicly made known a position, including by membership in an organization as discussed above, that could be reasonably perceived as Hateful Content or A Threat of Physical Harm; or
• a person or organization that has acted in such a way as could be reasonably perceived to support, condone, encourage, or represent Hateful Content or A Threat of Physical Harm.

Mailchimp also does not allow the distribution of Content that is, in our sole discretion, materially false, inaccurate, or misleading in a way that could deceive or confuse others about important events, topics, or circumstances.

If you violate any of these rules, then we may issue a warning to, suspend, or terminate your account.

Posted in News

Is Homosexual Sin Worse than Heterosexual Sin?

Here is an interesting opinion column by Steve Gallagher of Pure Life Ministries, a Kentucky-based ministry that applies biblical principles to help men and women overcome sexual sin. You can contact them HERE and sign up for the Pure Life email newsletter HERE (at the bottom of the page). Let us dedicate ourselves in the New Year to reaching out in love and truth to sinners (like us) with the message that forgiveness and life transformation are possible when people humbly repent of their sins and accept Jesus Christ. –Peter LaBarbera, Americans For Truth; Twitter: @PeterLaBarbera

___________________________

Is Homosexual Sin Worse than Heterosexual Sin?

By Steve Gallagher, Pure Life Ministries, originally published 12/21/21; reprinted with permission.

This is one of many hot-button questions in our day and age. Many years of well-intentioned Christian activism against homosexuality in our country has left the gay community with the impression that Christians are self-righteous and intolerant. Be that as it may, it is still a worthwhile issue to consider.

Before we get into that question, we will need to narrow down our categories a little to make sure we are measuring “like with like.” For instance, a man raping a woman is far worse than two men hooking up for casual sex. So simply putting homosexual activity up against heterosexual sin is too broad of a comparison. Perhaps a better way to ask the question would be, “Is homosexual promiscuity worse than heterosexual promiscuity?” Here we have two similar behaviors distinguished solely by gender orientation.

Read the rest of this article »

Posted in News

Twenty Years After 9-11, Gallup Poll Shows 70 Percent Support for Homosexual ‘Marriage’

Despite hopes for a spiritual and moral revival, the worst terror assault ever on the USA did not turn Americans back to God. 

We’re catching up in our posts, but this is distressing news from June, testifying to the massive effects of incessant and ubiquitous media propaganda on behalf of the LGBTQ lobby: Gallup reports:

• Support for gay marriage at 70% for first time
• A majority of Republicans now support same-sex marriage
• Support among older adults has reached the 60% mark

Posted in News

LaBarbera on VCY America: Children Targeted by Radical LGBTQ Agenda

Folks, here is a link (listen online HERE) to my radio interview today (Nov. 1, 2021) with my friend Jim Schneider on VCY America’s “Crosstalk.” As I tweeted HERE, long before CRT (the Marxist, anti-white “Critical Race Theory”) began penetrating school systems, homosexual and “transgender” activists were busy indoctrinating kids in schools. Back then, just as now, teachers took on the subversive role of leftist “change agents” as they taught an immoral ideology that redefines aberrant sex as normal. (The book ‘Heather Has Two Mommies,” came out 32 yrs ago!) Here is a direct link to the audio: https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/vcyamerica/sermons/111212123207368/

And here a link to the interview on the Crosstalk site, followed by the show description:

https://www.vcyamerica.org/crosstalk/2021/11/01/children-targeted-by-lgbtq-agenda/

VCY America “Crosstalk” Show Description:

Children Targeted by LGBTQ Agenda

Peter LaBarbera is the founder and president of Americans for Truth.

From media to education to politics to corporate America, the LGBTQ+ agenda continues to invade our society. It’s all about normalizing that which is abnormal as mere tolerance is no longer acceptable. Children in particular are being targeted by this agenda as it makes a direct attack upon God’s Word.

You’ll find this to be true as you review this edition of Crosstalk and hear Peter LaBarbera as he comments on various news stories that highlight the latest efforts by the LGBTQ+ movement.

Here’s a sample of stories dealt with on this broadcast:

Some states have elections tomorrow. In Virginia, former Governor Terry McAuliffe had an interview with The Blade. He called Glenn Youngkin, the Republican candidate, the “most homophobic” and most “anti-choice candidate” in the history of Virginia.

Peter noted that what’s important about this race is that Youngkin began to pick up momentum when the controversy over the Loudoun County school board’s radical transgender policies contributed to a sexual assault. The situation involves a boy pretending to be a girl who allegedly assaulted a biological girl in a restroom.

U.S.A. Today is reporting that LGBTQ candidates are seeking office in record numbers this election year, advancing a “sea-change” in the political landscape. At least 410 LGBTQ candidates ran or are running for office in 2021, a 7% increase over the last odd-number election year of 2019.

According to the Washington Blade, the Democratic National Committee has a new LGBTQ liaison. Sam Alleman worked at Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Posted in News

Twitter Reinstates LaBarbera’s Account

Back on Twitter. Suspension lifted following my appeal (see link below). It says a lot about certain cowardly (pro-)#LGBTQ “Morality-Phobes” that their first inclination when they see a viewpoint they don’t like is to file a “report” to Twitter: #Leftismhttps://t.co/cDKJpOkQqE pic.twitter.com/KTqsaGDUfm

— Peter LaBarbera (@PeterLaBarbera) September 24, 2021

Posted in News

AFTAH’s LaBarbera Appeals Twitter Suspension

____________________________

Update: Twitter reinstated LaBarbera’s account on Friday, Sept. 24.

____________________________

I sent the following letter 9-22-21 to appeal Twitter’s suspension of my account on Sept. 21, 2021. My Twitter page, now listing me with zero followers, can be found at: twitter.com/PeterLaBarbera.–Peter LaBarbera, Americans For Truth

I am appealing my suspension (9-21-21) for alleged “hateful conduct.” On 9-20, I sent out an innocuous and accurate tweet pointing out that it is radical, Sharia-enforcing Muslims (in Islamic states) that are killing homosexuals, not Christians. This was in reply to a sardonic tweet urging me to go to a country with “Sharia Law and stuff,” because I oppose homosexuality as immoral. The sad truth is that although Christians are often falsely accused of “hate” towards homosexuals because of their biblical and moral beliefs, it is fundamentalist Islamic states like Iran where homosexuals have suffered under the most draconian punishments, including death by hanging and stoning.

I refer you to Pages 5 and 56-58 in the U.S. State Department’s 2020 Human Rights report on Iran (https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IRAN-2020-HUMAN-RIGHTS-REPORT.pdf), which documents that the death penalty and other severe punishments have been carried out against homosexuals, and justified by Iran’s foreign minister.

My tweet in no way “promoted violence” or hatred against homosexuals. In fact, I was simply pointing to the irony that while American Christians are often demonized for alleged cruelty towards gays, actual violence in the form of harsh punishments against homosexuals actually occurs in hardline Islamic states.

I appeal this unjust suspension and ask you to restore my account in good standing. I challenge you to view my Twitter feed, where I routinely engage civilly with LGBTQ-identified critics like [LGBTQ writer and activist] Dan Savage (@fakedansavage). Even though they strongly disagree with me on sexual morality, we are able to dialogue back-and-forth, even poking fun at one another. I thought that was the original vision of Jack Dorsey and Twitter. Thank you for considering this appeal.–@PeterLaBarbera

Posted in News

Twitter Suspends LaBarbera For Accurate Tweet Saying that Sharia-enforcing Muslims, not Christians, Are Killing Homosexuals

Below is the full email suspension notice sent to LaBarbera by Twitter on September 21, 2021:

Posted in Corporate Promotion, News, Social Media - LGBTQ Bias, Social Media Censorship

Finland Restricts ‘Gender Transition’ Procedures for Minors

Now “more reasonable” than USA, says Family Research Council

By Jennifer Bauwens, July 26, 2021

Reprinted from Family Research Council site

Reason on the subject of gender transition for minors is increasingly prevailing on the international scene. With Finland’s recent move to cut back on the practice, multiple countries in Europe, including Great Britain and Sweden, now recognize that performing potentially irreversible procedures on children that transform their endocrine systems and remove healthy sexual organs should not be the go-to intervention for treating psychological dissonance over one’s biological sex.

In taking this positive step toward protecting the physical integrity of children suffering from gender dysphoria, Finland last year amended their national health care policy and issued new guidelines to end the wide-spread availability of interventions on those who are under 18 (a translation of the guidelines was just finished earlier this month). After reviewing the research on pediatric transgender medicine, Finnish authorities determined that the scientific evidence did not support medical intervention, and rather, psychotherapy should be the first treatment used with minors.

Read the rest of this article »

Posted in News