I have been a part of the AuburnThrows team for 6 years and I still train with them daily. We are a close-knit group that prides ourselves on our athletic achievements and camaraderie. Our Instagram page (@auburnthrows) serves as more than just a social media platform for us; it's a digital scrapbook capturing our special moments, victories, and growth as athletes and as a team. Recently, Instagram took down our page, accusing us of impersonating others. This came as a shock to us, especially considering that our team's key representatives, @maura.huwalt and Coach Ebel, are directly tied to the AuburnThrows identity.

Our story is not isolated. There are reports of an increasing number of Instagram users whose mechanisms of self-expression have been unjustly stripped due to false accusations of impersonation. Instagram's overly strict application of their community guidelines is inadvertently silencing the voices of those who wish to create, share, and connect, without malicious intent.

Bring our page back and cease this pattern of mistreatment. Help us show Instagram they were wrong in taking down AuburnThrows, and emphasize the importance of a more nuanced approach to moderating user content. Sign this petition to urge Instagram to reinstate AuburnThrows and reconsider their impersonation policies for the benefit of its user community.