OnlyFans Backtracks! Says They Are NOT Getting Rid Of Porn... For Now!

Can OnlyFans redeem themselves?

As we previously reported, the subscription service caused an uproar when it announced it would be banning pornography in October 2021, blaming their “banking partners and payout providers.” It was a controversial decision, considering their brand was known mostly for NSFW content. Many sex workers protested the loss of income and have already begun migrating to more welcoming platforms.

But on Wednesday, the site reversed the decision in a new statement on Twitter. They wrote:

“Thank you to everyone for making your voices heard.

We have secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the planned October 1 policy change.

OnlyFans stands for inclusion and we will continue to provide a home for all creators.

An official communication to creators will be emailed shortly.”

As Variety pointed out, publicizing the issue may have put pressure on those “banking partners” (JPMorgan Chase, Bank of New York Mellon, and the U.K.’s Metro Bank) who had cut the site off financially. Similarly, though, the backlash to the ban may have pressured the site itself into backing down.

Followers continued to criticize the service’s handling of the controversy, with many feeling that the reversal was too little, too late. Replies included:

“So translation, you thought that your business model could survive by demonizing sex workers. And instead you took the PR hit and realized you had to back out. This isn’t 2005 – most people don’t think of sex work as shameful or dirty. It’s work. Demonizing them was a bad move.”

“No chance. You have proved that not only are you untrustworthy but you are willing to put millions of creators out of a job + possibly dangerous [situations] FOR MONEY you didn’t even tell us first. PLUS IM NOT F**KING MY FANS AROUND already moved. Damage already done.”

“Do you honestly think that this is going to bring everyone back? Bc you’re wrong. If you are thinking about returning to OF, think hard about that. They took our hard work, built their notoriety, and then threw us to the curb. No ty”

How are you gonna make it safe that if we stay on the site this is not gonna happen in the near future? What’s the plan and what’s the strategy to protect sex workers, the one making you a billon dollar company?

— María Riot (@riotmaria) August 25, 2021

Others noted the specific language of the policy change being “suspended”:

“SUSPENDED but for HOW LONG????”

“The fact they said ‘suspended’ rather than ‘cancelled’ proves that they fully intend to try and pull this again at some point in the future”

“Suspended….not cancelled ….

“Sex workers…proceed as planned as we should have multiple streams of income”

“They have been trying to onboard celebrities and other ppl to backfill us and someone has realised [sic] logistically its a nightmare and they will lose money””

Yep, looks like OF is still in hot water with the very people who made their platform a success in the first place. Hopefully, sex workers can find a home for their online content that keeps them safe and values their labor appropriately. And if OnlyFans wants to continue being the phenomenon it’s become, they should seriously consider reaching out and making financial amends to the community they hurt.

[Image via OnlyFans]