Banning of Anthropomorphic Art (Y!gallery)

On May 10, 2006, the Y!gallery administrators posted the following announcement (branding maintained for archival sake):

Posted on 2006-05-11 @ 4:41 AM Terms of Service Revision: Anthropomorphic art. IMPORTANT. READ (o) The purpose of y!Gallery When y!Gallery was started, its intent was to be a gallery showcasing yaoi-themed artwork. As the site grew, we went out of our way to be more inclusive of othermale-related artwork, because, at the time, these other groups had nowhere else to go. As the site has continued to grow, we've had to place stricter controls on what sort of artwork is allowed. The Terms of Service has changed significantly since the site's introduction in an attempt to further concentrate our focus, and it is once again being changed significantly today in order to further refine the core of the site. (o) Why things are being changed Unfortunately, the yaoi community, the portion of the population that this site was geared toward, has now become a minority. While the interest of the anthropomorphic community has been flattering and there are many amazing and talented artists specializing in this genre on the site, it's simply never been the focus of y!Gallery or its predecessor, y!hosting. As a result of the drastic change in the site's demographic, it's become more and more difficult to maintain a stable definition of 'anthro art', as all the mods have been unable to agree consistently on what should be permissible in the gallery as 'human enough' and what shouldn't. Because of this, there has been a great strain on the staff's time and morale. Following in the footsteps of VCL and Elfwood, we are now forced to institute control limits on the submissions in order to maintain the original intent of the gallery. After careful deliberation, we've determined there is no option at this time that we can provide that a more specialized site doesn't already offer. Therefore, any new submissions of anthropomorphic art or bestiality are prohibited in the main gallery as of today, May 10th, 2006. (o) What anthropomorphic art is Anthropomorphic art is henceforth defined as artwork containing characters with human characteristics applied to an animal base. Figures including a combination of full-bodied fur/feathers/scales, tails, muzzles/beaks/snouts, and padded/webbed/clawed hands and feet are no longer allowed in the main gallery. (o) What anthropomorphic art is not Anthropomorphic art does not include any of the following types of characters: Mythological creatures with predominately human characteristics, such as fauns, nagas, centaurs, classical Egyptian gods (animal-headed humans), classical minotaurs, vampires, faeries, etc. Kemonomimi, which is (for distinguishable purposes) normal humans with animal ears, tails, and/or fangs added, such as catboys, dogboys, etc. Specific examples include Yoko Kurama of Yuyu Hakusho/Poltergeist Report and Ritsuka from Loveless. Fantasy creatures, such as elves, driders, orcs, dwarves, etc. If you're in doubt about one of your works, please see "To whom you should address questions" below. (o) Why this is not an ideal solution Obviously, our gallery is very attractive to a wide variety of people, and we don't wish to take it away from anyone. We aren't sure that an outright ban is the ultimate resolution, and this change of rules is rather abrupt, so all previously submitted anthropomorphic art will remain in the main gallery until we determine a proper course of action. Once this changes, we will let you know. In the meantime, we have created the Anthro Development Project, where you can share suggestions. (o) Where anthropomorphic art can remain at y!Gallery Anthropomorphic art is still welcomed in :star4:Extras, and we would encourage artists that have posted their anthropomorphic art to stay and continue to post such works there. Rules and penalties regarding anthropomorphic submissions in the main gallery are now identical to those of Rule #1a of the Terms of Service. (o) Where your anthropomorphic art can go outside of y!Gallery As alternatives to posting anthropomorphic art here, Fur Affinity is now up and functioning and has a great, friendly staff. VCL is also available for more experienced artists and Fanart Central allows original characters as well as fan-furs. All of these sites also allow adult artwork, including intersexual (hermaphrodite) and female artwork, so your creativity won't be limited. If you are an anthropomorphic artist and want to create a personal Web site to showcase your works, you may want to read the Furry Resource Page. (o) Behaviour that will not be tolerated We know there many people will be upset with this decision, but please understand that we aren't forcing anthropomorphic art to be without a home. We've provided links to many other art sites online where it is welcomed, and encourage you to investigate these places to determine the most proper venue for your work. Flames toward anyone regarding this change will not be tolerated in any way. Users who flame will be suspended for two weeks (or longer, at our discretion). Users who continue to harass others after their suspension will be permanently banned. Users that create new accounts specifically to flame others will have both their new and their original accounts banned permanently from the site. Do not report old pictures of anthros prior to the time the news report went up. You will be suspended or banned if you do so. (o) To whom you should address questions This isn't about any one artist in particular or any group of artists. Rather, it's about the artwork, and we hope most artists will stay and contribute to this gallery with yaoi-themed artwork as was originally intended. Any concerns about your submissions and whether or not they fall under the category of anthropomorphism should be directed as soon as possible to any one of the list of following moderators: themscarecrows themdolphins virginreaper Spubba pirotess Captain All other moderators are otherwise occupied at the moment and will most likely not respond to messages regarding this issue. We strongly urge you to post any suggestions directly to the Anthro Development Project. Thank you for your support.

Artist Patrick Fillion was suspended for two weeks for uploading art that included Ra which Patrick thought was permitted as a mythological figure but a Y!gallery moderator deemed to be a furry. After Patrick's suspension had expired, Patrick deleted his art from Y!gallery and posted a farewell message to Y!gallery, and then Y!gallery "shut down [Patrick's] access".