Facebook has been targeting drag performers, locking them out of their accounts and forcing them to change their profiles to display the names on their birth certificates. Failure to comply means a loss of social media privileges that many depend on to communicate with fans and advertise their business.
San Francisco drag performer Sister Roma was given an ultimatum to change her profile name to her birth name, Michael Williams. This will make it difficult for fans to find her page. It also puts her at risk of stalking and harrassment. Even if she creates a fan page under her drag name, she will still need a regular profile page to control the fan page. Additionally, she considers her fans to be friends, and would prefer to communicate with them as equals, the same way that everyone else communicates with their friends via Facebook.
Facebook claims that this policy keeps their community safe, but forcing people to use their real names puts them in a vulnerable position, especially if they want to contribute to group pages or post on outside news sites through the Facebook platform. The policy intimidates users from voicing their honest opinions and joining controversial groups and pages. Also, the policy is not equally enforced and drag performers feel they are being unfairly targeted. Please sign the petition to urge Facebook to let drag performers use their performance names!
We, the undersigned, are surprised to learn that Facebook has been targeting drag performers, locking them out of their accounts and forcing them to change their profiles to display the names on their birth certificates. As you know, many depend on Facebook to communicate with fans and advertise their business.
We understand that San Francisco drag performer Sister Roma was given an ultimatum to change her profile name to her birth name, Michael Williams. This will make it difficult for fans to find her page. It also puts her at risk of stalking and harrassment. Even if she creates a fan page under her drag name, she will still need a regular profile page to control the fan page. Additionally, she considers her fans to be friends, and would prefer to communicate with them as equals, the same way that everyone else communicates with their friends via Facebook.
Facebook claims that this policy keeps their community safe, but forcing people to use their real names puts them in a vulnerable position, especially if they want to contribute to group pages or post on outside news sites through the Facebook platform. The policy intimidates users from voicing their honest opinions and joining controversial groups and pages. Also, the policy is not equally enforced and drag performers feel they are being unfairly targeted. We find this inconsistent with Facebook's progressive views on gender nonconformity and gay rights. We respectfully urge you to let drag performers use their performance names. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
