Facebook is sticking with its real name rule after a meeting Wednesday with drag queens and others who argued that the social network s requirement puts people at risk.
San Francisco Supervisor David Campos, who attended the meeting, held a press conference afterwards and expressed disappointment, according to IsabeltheAngell who tweeted:
Campos: we did not achieve what we set out to do ..FB has not agreed to allow fake names, but says concerns heard
— Isabel Angell (@IsabeltheAngell)
After writing a column about the issue, I met Sister Roma on KQED s Forum. Roma (pictured in the tweet above with flowing brown curls) is a member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a drag queen performance and political activist group. The company deactivated Roma s account and said the performer could not reopen without a real name.
Roma and others in the drag queen community planned a protest at Facebook s Menlo Park headquarters this week but instead met with company officials.
A company spokesman said that Facebook would temporarily reactivate the profiles of several hundred members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community whose profiles have been deactivated:
This will give them a chance to decide how they d like to represent themselves on Facebook. Over the next two weeks, we hope that they will decide to confirm their real name, change their name to their real name, or convert their profile to a Page.
The company also reiterated at the meeting that the real name policy s purpose is to prevent bad behavior, while creating a safer and more accountable environment.
Above: member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (
