Dennis Cooper: Erasure

Two weeks ago, writer and artist Dennis Cooper was checking his Gmail when something peculiar happened: the page was refreshed and he was notified that his account had been deactivated – along with the blog that he’d maintained for 14 years.

Cooper’s DC’s Blog had been a prime destination for fans of experimental literature and avant garde writing. The author of such acclaimed and transgressive novels as Frisk and Closer would showcase the work of other writers, while the blog also hosted his recent novels which use gifs instead of text.

An American now based in Paris, Cooper made several complaints on Google’s forums and subsequently enlisted a lawyer to approach the California-based company.

“He talked multiple times to Google’s lawyer and they’ve basically stonewalled us,” Cooper told the Guardian. “I can’t even get a response from them or anything. I have no idea why they did it or what’s going on.”

The suspension of Cooper’s blog has been labeled as censorship by some in the art world and raised concerns about Google’s power to eliminate alternative voices.

Stuart Comer, a curator at MoMA and a longtime fan of Cooper’s work, said this is effectively a return to the culture wars of the 80s and 90s.

“I think this is definitely censorship. The problem is nobody knows what the specific issue is and certainly Dennis has posted images that one might find troubling,” Comer said. “It’s just yet another means by which certain members of the government or certain internet conglomerates have decided to make it impossible for culture to be produced.” ...

Guardian online.

Sarah Wollaston: Blogger Off

A prominent Tory backbencher has hit out at “aggressive male bloggers” who, she claims, target female MPs.

Sarah Wollaston said that certain parts of the political blogosphere were “quite aggressive in their approach towards women”, particularly when discussing sexual violence or gender. “If you stick your head above the parapet you can expect some quarters of the aggressive blogging community to go for you,” she said.

Dr Wollaston, the Totnes MP, faced a barrage of criticism last week after Nigel Evans, the deputy speaker, was cleared of a string of sex charges. One of the alleged victims was in a Westminster bar with the former GP when an “off-the-cuff” remark about an alleged assault triggered a sequence of events that led to the court case. Dr Wollaston was contacted by a second man — a friend of the first — who alleged that he had been raped.

The MP listened to their complaints and took them to John Bercow, the Speaker, who said that he could not help. She then passed on police contact details to the alleged victims, who contacted the officers, prompting the arrest last year of Mr Evans.

The acquittal of the MP for Ribble Valley led to accusations that Dr Wollaston had put pressure on the accusers to complain. She responded with an article entitled “Why am I being blamed for Nigel Evans sex case?” in which she argued that she had an ethical duty to take their claims seriously...

She singled out The Daily Telegraph writer Dan Hodges, the libertarian blog Guido Fawkes, and the Tory publisher and writer Iain Dale, saying that she had been reading their “really quite aggressive attacks” about her handling of the allegations...

The Times.

Let's have a look at what those really quite aggressive bullying male bloggers wrote...

YEAH! AND ALL THAT!'
Poor lay-out though.
OR  N?

Iain Dale, Conservative Home “She no doubt felt she was exercising a duty of care towards the man who cried rape. She clearly believed his story, but today she must also be asking herself if she acted properly throughout this sorry saga.”

Dan Hodges, The Daily Telegraph “Partly because of her actions, a wholly innocent man had his reputation destroyed and his career ruined and now faces crippling debts to cover the cost of his legal fees”

Paul Staines, Guido Fawkes “Did she, as Evans implies, have an ulterior motive? [She said:] ‘I reject that idea entirely.’ Many of Wollaston’s colleagues disagree...”

NB Out of these three men at least two are gay and two are Tories. Just putting that out there...

Amina Abdullah: "Abducted"

"A blogger whose frank and witty thoughts on Syria's uprising, politics and being a lesbian in the country shot her to prominence was last night seized by armed men in Damascus.
"Amina Arraf, who blogged under the name Amina Abdallah, holds dual Syrian and American citizenship and is the author of the blog A Gay Girl in Damascus, which has drawn fans from Syria and across the world.
"She was kidnapped last night as she and a friend were on their way to a meeting in Damascus. The kidnapping was reported on her blog by a cousin.
"'Amina was seized by three men in their early 20s. According to the witness (who does not want her identity known), the men were armed," wrote Rania Ismail..."

The Guardian.

• Free Amina.

Update: Doubt has been cast on both the veracity of this story and of the blog...

Update2: Lengthy Guardian report trying to check this.
GayMiddleEast.com say that while much of the blog seems "authentic", they are more sceptical about accounts of what has happened to Amina recently.