Let The Battle Begin

Facebook has declared war on crossdressers, drag queens, and drag kings and wants to force them to use their real names.

Why Is Facebook Cracking Down on Drag Names?
Slate
By J. Bryan Lowder

On Wednesday, drag queens and similar performers began complaining of problems with their Facebook profiles. Artists from across the country reported being forcibly logged out of their accounts and informed that they would need to update their profiles with their legal names in order to lift the suspension.

According to New York City-based drag performer and Outward contributor Miz Cracker, at least 20 of her drag colleagues have had their profiles challenged over the last three days, with notices continuing to be issued at the time of writing.

Cracker described her experience in an email:

I found out that my account had been suspended on Wednesday night, right in the middle of a show, when a fellow queen texted to ask “Why is your Facebook profile gone?” Facebook was letting me know that I had a choice: I could either select a name they liked, or lose touch with the contacts, creative content, and memories that my name has earned me over the years.

It is also crossdressers who are facing the wrath of Facebook, I imaging that Facebook is using an app to find names that do not fit into the “normal” names, names like Miz Cracker probably fits the filter Facebook is using to highlight drag names.

Facebook claims that,

According to a Facebook spokesperson, the step was taken to bring users in line with the company’s “real name” policy, which stipulates that “people use their real identities” and “provide their real names, so you always know who you're connecting with.” The rule is designed to “keep the community safe.”

There is a grain of truth behind their policy about keeping the community safe, but on the other for some people using their real name could help a stalker or an ex find them. Also for many trans-people if their identity is know it could subject them to discrimination and harassment.

The article goes on to say the probable motive behind the drive,

Speculation about the motivations behind the purge ranges from homophobia to money—some queens point out that Facebook stands to gain financially if artists switch from personal profiles to Fan Pages, which often require paying for post promotion to make them worthwhile…
[…]
While Facebook is technically justified in putting drag queens through the “real name” ringer, one hopes they might be willing to consider how “realness” could be a relative term. After all, as Miz Cracker points out, “Cracker is real enough to earn more cash than some New York City households, publish articles, bruise someone’s face during a sloppy cartwheel, take lovers—[and yet] she isn’t real enough for Facebook.”

That is the thing for many trans-people that is for all real purpose that is their real name.

There is a petition drive on Change.org is you want to protest Facebook policy.