The "front page of the internet" message board Reddit has banned one of its long-standing controversial parts of its website.
The 'incels' (involuntarily celibate) sub-section was where men who felt it was women's fault they were celibate, posted their thoughts and feelings about the female sex.
The community had 40,000 members. While it was dedicated mainly for men, the group's rules didn't explicitly ban women from participation.
However, a group administrator said: "Those who continuously claim there are as many female incels in the same situation as male incels will receive a warning and then a ban."
"Most can agree that women can be incel in some rare situations such as extreme disfigurement, but their numbers do not come close to male incels."
Reddit banned the section because it has updated its site-wide policy to prevent publication of content that "encourages, glorifies, incites or calls for violence or physical harm against an individual or group of people."
A Reddit spokesperson said that:
"Reddit is the home to some of the most authentic conversations online. We strive to be a welcoming, open platform for all by trusting our users to maintain an environment that cultivates genuine conversation."
The Incels group was a popular meeting ground for celibate men to express their frustrations about women and a society that they feel contributed to their unhappiness and failure to find romantic relationships. But many has also used it to express their depression and sadness over their celibacy. This led to harsh languages that are often violent or derogatory towards women, with some examples being: "all women are sluts"; "proof that girls are nothing but trash that use men" and "reasons why women are the embodiment of evil."
Some of posts even endorsed rape and sexual violence, saying that "rape should be legal because it reduces inbreeding."
Reddit has been strict in its community, having banned alt-right pages, as well as banning those which contain repeated instances of harassment and hate speech.
Other controversial Reddit communities beside Incel that has been banned, include:
- Jailbait: One of the most infamous former subreddit that featured sexually suggestive photographs of under-age girls. It was closed in October 2011.
- CreepShots: Dedicated to photos of women taken without their permission in public places, It was banned in October 2012, a year after the closure of Jailbait.
- FatPeopleHate: Devoted to demeaning obese people and denouncing the idea of fat acceptance. It was banned by Reddit in June 2015.