Facebook has agreed to meet with San Francisco officials and activists after allegations that its naming policy discriminates against the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community. “ Sister Roma,” a member of the drag group “The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” was among the first to speak out when Facebook locked her account:
“I am overwhelmed and moved to tears by the literally hundreds of emails I have received from people sharing their stories, explaining why they don’t use their real names on Facebook,” “I want you all to know that you are not alone, there are many people who have been abused, discriminated against, survived addiction and maintain profiles that are very real and very separate from their legal identity.”
Transgender people, he points out, are not the only ones affected by this policy. Victims of domestic violence, for example, may want to use a pseudonym on Facebook in order to protect themselves from their abuser.
Over 17,000 signatures of support have already been collected on change.org.
Facebook is not the first social networking platform to face criticism for its policy. Google+, after similar complaints, changed its policy and allows its users to use a pseudonym.
