Facebook to meet with drag queens over profile name row

Facebook has agreed to meet with drag queens in San Francisco to discuss the ongoing row over the use of stage names on profiles.

The social network has a real-name policy designed to “protect the community and increase accountability”, but drag queens have argued that they should be able to use stage names in the interest of “privacy, safety, or preference”.

San Francisco Supervisor, David Campos, invited representatives of the social networking site to meet with drag queens on Wednesday (September 17). He threatened a demonstration outside the company’s California headquarters if they didn’t agree to the talks, CBS San Francisco reports.

Campo said: “I am glad that Facebook has accepted our invitation to engage in a meaningful public dialogue with the drag queens and members of the transgender community who have been affected by the profile name policy.”

Drag queen Heklina, who has been locked out of her account following Facebook’s ruling, said: “We gave Facebook a chance to meet with us and I’m glad they took it. Having my profile suspended and my name questioned has been a very frustrating experience.”

Responding to the controversy on Monday (September 15), Facebook said: “If people want to use an alternative name on Facebook, they have several different options available to them, including providing an alias under their name on their profile, or creating a Page specifically for that alternative persona.

“As part of our overall standards, we ask that people who use Facebook provide their real name on their profile.”

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