OnlyFans has reversed its recently-announced policy banning sexually explicit content on the site following a wave of backlash from sex workers — including LGBTQ sex workers — decrying the decision.
“We have secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the planned October 1 policy change,” the company said in an August 25 statement. “Thank you to everyone for making your voices heard,” the company tweeted. “OnlyFans stands for inclusion, and we will continue to provide a home for all creators.”
The company’s response comes days after announcing that they are barring users from posting pornographic content amid growing pressure from financial investors. This decision sparked a wave of outcry on social media from sex workers who rely on the site as a key source of income.
Before reinstating the policy, the company told Bloomberg that this move to ban explicit content would support “the long-term sustainability of our platform, and continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines.” According to OnlyFans, the company would still allow users to post nude content “as long as it is consistent with our Acceptable Use Policy.”
OnlyFans CEO Tim Stokely had pinned the controversial decision on major banking institutions, which threatened to cut financial support.
“JPMorgan Chase is particularly aggressive in closing accounts of sex workers or…any business that supports sex workers,” he said in an interview with the Financial Times,
A pattern of restrictions on content surrounding sex workers has emerged in recent years in the wake of federal legislation known as SESTA/FOSTA, which put more responsibility on platforms for the content on their sites. Other sites, including Tumblr, came under fire for a similar ban on all “adult content,” but has since decided to uphold its policy.
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