RuPaul: ‘Facebook is stripping the rights of drag queens’

RuPaul has spoken out against Facebook’s ban on stage names including drag names.

The social network is enforcing a real-name policy designed to “protect the community and increase accountability”, but many drag queens have argued that they should be able to use their stage names on their Facebook profiles instead in the interests of “privacy, safety, or preference”. Read more here.

Members of the San Francisco drag community met with Facebook representatives last week to discuss the issue, but the social network refused to budge, insisting that profiles must continue to show users’ actual birth names.

Now RuPaul has shared his views on the issue, arguing that although there is “no such thing as bad publicity,” Facebook are “stripping the rights” of drag queens.

“In showbiz, there’s no such thing as bad publicity as long as they spell your name right,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “But it’s bad policy when Facebook strips the rights of creative individuals who have blossomed into something even more fabulous than the name their mama gave them.”

Meanwhile, it was announced recently that a RuPaul Drag Race mobile game is in the works – find out more here.