Apple blocks\u00c2\u00a0Hard to Swallow<\/em>; publisher releases free version<\/strong> Unfortunately, Apple rejected the book\u00e2\u20ac\u201das they have the publisher’s past two releases aimed at adults only\u00e2\u20ac\u201dfor having “prohibited explicit or objectionable content”. The publisher has now decided to offer a censored version of the book for free, to shine a spotlight on what it sees as Apple’s ongoing campaign against sex in art.<\/p>\n In the days before the iPad debuted, Apple repeatedly rejected comic books and apps with gay content\u00e2\u20ac\u201dsome of which were very tame and included no nudity\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand was accused of\u00c2\u00a0following a double standard when compared to heterosexual content. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs famously defended the platform’s\u00c2\u00a0restrictions on sexual content\u00c2\u00a0by saying Apple provided his customers\u00c2\u00a0“freedom from porn”.<\/p>\n Northwest Press Publisher Charles “Zan” Christensen, then a board member with the nonprofit LGBT comics advocacy organization Prism Comics,\u00c2\u00a0took them to task publicly for this in an online article.<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n in 2011, when the iBooks store was opened up to comics content from indie publishers, Northwest Press submitted its very first release, Jon Macy’s Teleny and Camille<\/u><\/strong><\/em><\/a>\u00c2\u00a0(which at that time was the most explicitly sexual\u00c2\u00a0book they had\u00c2\u00a0published). Apple accepted it, and accepted every subsequent release for about two years.<\/p>\n In Fall of 2013, Apple changed its submission process; they added a new “Explicit Content?” checkbox to their iTunes Producer software, which is used to submit titles to iBooks. The first book Northwest Press\u00c2\u00a0submitted to Apple since that change was Al-Qaeda’s Super Secret Weapon<\/u><\/strong><\/em><\/a>, a gay, erotic, political satire of the War on Terror. This book contained far less sexual content than Teleny<\/em>, so the publisher was perplexed when the book was\u00c2\u00a0rejected. Despite following up and protesting the rejection, Apple’s decision stood.<\/p>\n This\u00c2\u00a0happened again when Jon Macy finished the final chapter of his fantasy epic Fearful Hunter<\/u><\/strong><\/em><\/a>, and Northwest Press\u00c2\u00a0submitted the collected edition to iBooks. Apple rejected it.<\/p>\n “I pointed out that issues 1-3\u00c2\u00a0were already\u00c2\u00a0available for sale on iBooks,” says Christensen. “But\u00c2\u00a0they did not budge.\u00c2\u00a0Fearful Hunter<\/em> is apparently like ‘gay Voltron<\/u><\/a>‘; fine in individual pieces, but way more formidable when assembled.”<\/p>\n Now that Hard to Swallow<\/em> has been rejected as well, the publisher feels\u00c2\u00a0that Apple will continue to\u00c2\u00a0reject any<\/em> graphic novel\u00c2\u00a0that includes sexual content.<\/p>\n “This is not censorship<\/em>, per se,” says Christensen. “Apple is not the US government, and they can make their own decisions about what to include or not. But the waters are muddied by the fact that Apple’s devices behave a\u00c2\u00a0lot more like a distribution platform\u00c2\u00a0than a standalone bookstore, with independent publishers using iPhones and iPads as a means to distribute their work. When Apple blocks\u00c2\u00a0material on content grounds\u00e2\u20ac\u201dblocking it from being sold\u00c2\u00a0in any<\/em> app installed on a customer’s device, by the way\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthey are\u00c2\u00a0effectively\u00c2\u00a0banning the book from being sold on any of Apple’s over a\u00c2\u00a0billion<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0active\u00c2\u00a0devices.”<\/p>\n “Think of it like this,” continues\u00c2\u00a0Christensen, “It’s like the company that makes your television preventing you from buying a spicy movie on pay-per-view.”<\/p>\n To make a point about what Apple’s behavior, Northwest Press has\u00c2\u00a0created a special version\u00c2\u00a0of Hard to Swallow<\/em>, which readers can download for free<\/u><\/a>. They refer to it as\u00c2\u00a0the “apple version”, because all of the sexual content and nudity has been censored\u00c2\u00a0with pictures of apples.<\/p>\n “This is the version of Hard to Swallow<\/em> that’s acceptable to Apple,” says Christensen. “This is what you get when\u00c2\u00a0Apple dictates what you’re allowed to buy.”<\/p>\n The publisher has included an introduction to the special edition, penned by Christensen, as well as several Internet links:\u00c2\u00a0one is to an iBooks feedback form<\/u><\/a> where the publisher urges you to\u00c2\u00a0share your feelings about content restrictions\u00e2\u20ac\u201d”respectfully but firmly”\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwith Apple. The second is a link to the\u00c2\u00a0Comic Book Legal Defense Fund<\/u><\/a>, who work to protect\u00c2\u00a0comic book creators from censorship and legal threats. The third is a link to Northwest Press’ entire catalog on ComiXology<\/u><\/a>, including the two previous\u00c2\u00a0books which Apple has rejected.<\/p>\n “Download Hard to Swallow<\/em>: Apple Version,” says Christensen. “If you enjoy it,\u00c2\u00a0but can’t help but feel that something<\/em> is missing, I hope you’ll let Apple know that you don’t need their opinion on what’s appropriate reading material for you.” # # #<\/p>\n Northwest Press<\/strong> is an independent comics publisher that has been producing quality comics exploring the LGBT experience since 2010. Their full catalog of\u00c2\u00a0books can be ordered directly<\/u><\/strong><\/a>\u00c2\u00a0and new books\u00c2\u00a0can be ordered\u00c2\u00a0through Diamond Comic Distributors.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’m interrupting our regular daily dose of comics chit-chat to share with you all a Press Release we recently received from independent publisher Northwest Press. Usually I do nothing more than mouth off about things which annoy or baffle me – and the situation described here does both to an extreme degree – but at … <\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Hard-to-swallow-150x227.jpg\")
\nJune 13, 2016\u00e2\u20ac\u201dNorthwest Press submitted their new book HARD TO SWALLOW<\/u><\/strong><\/em><\/a> to Apple’s iBooks two\u00c2\u00a0weeks ago, with the intention of having a day-and-date release to coincide with the paperback edition that will be in comic book stores this month.<\/p>\n