”We are very upset about this and apologize to any site visitors from the state of California that might have been offended by the ads…. They may see the ads and think I’m some hypocritical gay guy who is taking money from anybody and has no morals. I won’t even accept ads from companies that aren’t gay-friendly.”
Joe LaMuraglia of GayWheels.com expressing his dismay that Google’s AdSense banner revenue program allowed “Yes on 8” ads to appear on his site when vistors from California surfed his site. The article quotes the anti-gay advertiser who requested the banners as saying their organization did not specifically target GayWheels.com — they just let Google place ads where they please. (LA Times) Google’s and its founder donated thousands of dollars to the “No on 8” campaign in September.
[Note: MetroWeekly.com also uses Google AdSense and has experienced good results. Early on in the advertising program, some anti-gay ads did show up on our site, but after expressing our dismay, Google appears to have tweaked their settings, and our site has had an overwhelmingly positive experience with the internet giant. AdSense also has added features that allow individual client sites to weed out specific advertisers, though there is some delay.]
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!