The social media giant Meta has faced significant backlash after removing the Instagram accounts of various sex worker-led organizations, including the award-winning arts collective, Sexquisite. This purge, which resulted in the loss of over 52,000 followers, has sparked accusations of censorship and left many performers and advocates furious.
The deletions specifically affected accounts that had complied with Meta’s community guidelines. “Meta deleting our account destroys six years of work building a community that exists both online and in real life,” stated Maedb Joy, founder of Sexquisite. Established in 2019, Sexquisite focuses on creating paid creative opportunities for sex workers through theatre, cabaret, and community events. The organization has made significant strides in supporting sex worker artists while challenging societal stigma.
On the night of the deletions, Sexquisite lost 26,000 followers from its account, while others like Cybertease and UK Sex Worker Pride faced similar fates, contributing to the overall loss of more than 52,000 followers across these organizations. This event follows a report by The Guardian, indicating that Meta has restricted or removed accounts belonging to over 50 organizations globally, including those focused on abortion access and reproductive health. Campaigners have described this as one of the most significant waves of censorship on Meta’s platforms in years.
“This isn’t just about one deleted account; it’s part of a much bigger pattern,” commented Maedb Martha Dimitratou, Executive Director of Repro Uncensored, an organization tracking these deletions. She highlighted that queer nightlife spaces, sex worker-led projects, feminist organizations, and reproductive health providers are increasingly being silenced. “Meta keeps saying this is about safety, but the people being silenced are the ones providing community care, harm reduction, medical information, and safer working environments.”
The impact of this censorship is profound. April, founder of Cybertease, emphasized that losing their platform removes access to a safer working environment for dancers reliant on their services. “Meta deleting our account is a direct attack on our visibility, safety, and livelihood,” she said.
Maedb Joy further explained the role that Instagram played in their operations. “Our Instagram is how we sell tickets. It’s how we find new audiences, collaborate with performers, and sustain the work we do,” she noted. The nightlife industry is already facing challenges, and without a robust online presence, shows risk financial instability, performers lose income, and community spaces face closure.
Despite adhering to strict content guidelines, including sharing only safe-for-work cabaret clips and event posters, Sexquisite’s account was permanently deleted for “not complying with community guidelines,” with no significant explanation provided. Joy described the emotional fallout from this action, stating, “It felt like being completely erased, as though six years of cultural work and community building had never existed at all.”
Other organizations impacted include Cybertease, which was founded during the UK lockdown as a safer alternative to exploitative venues, and UK Sex Worker Pride, which organized significant events for sex workers across the country. “What’s striking is the double standard,” Joy remarked. “Pop culture constantly borrows sex worker aesthetics and language without consequence. Meanwhile, sex worker-led arts organizations like ours are deleted for promoting theatre and community events.”
The deletions highlight a troubling trend, according to Joy. “Losing our accounts instantly disrupted income for artists across multiple UK cities. The bizarre part is being accused of harm while doing harm reduction.”
In response to the deletions, Meta claimed they were enforcing policies against “human exploitation.” However, Joy criticized the company’s approach, stating, “The response has been a blanket assertion rather than engagement with the facts. This is not about safety. It is about automated enforcement, stigma, and a refusal to distinguish between exploitation and sex worker-led culture, advocacy, and art.”
A Meta spokesperson previously stated, “Every organization and individual on our platforms is subject to the same set of rules, and any claims of enforcement based on group affiliation or advocacy are baseless.” The organization has yet to offer a comprehensive response to the widespread criticism from affected parties.
As the situation continues to unfold, the implications of Meta’s actions resonate deeply within the communities it has impacted. The backlash against these deletions reflects broader conversations about censorship, visibility, and the rights of marginalized communities on digital platforms.
