OnlyFans Banned Explicit Videos—Here's How Queer Creators Are Reacting

The days of OnlyFans being an integral part of the homemade porn business are coming to a climax.

Earlier today, it was announced that starting this fall, the infamous content sharing platform would no longer be allowing users to post sexually explicit video content to their accounts. According to a report from Bloomberg, the seemingly swift changes are coming on the heels of increased pressure OnlyFans is receiving from banks and payment providers to get rid of explicit material on the website, though creators on the platform will still be able to post nude photos and videos as long as they meet the requirements of the site's upcoming updated content policy.

"Effective 1 October, 2021, OnlyFans will prohibit the posting of any content containing sexually-explicit conduct," a statement from OnlyFans reads. "In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the platform, and to continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines. Creators will continue to be allowed to post content containing nudity as long as it is consistent with our Acceptable Use Policy. These changes are to comply with the requests of our banking partners and payout providers. We will be sharing more details in the coming days, and we will actively support and guide our creators through this change in content guidelines."

First launched in 2016 by British entrepreneur Timothy Stokely, OnlyFans is an increasingly popular subscription-based website that allows content creators to make money from their more exclusive, premium content that they wouldn't want to share on other free social media sites.

Although all kinds of artists and creators use it -- Cardi B, Shea Coulee, and Bella Thorne are just some notable celeb names who are on the platform -- it is widely associated and popular with adult actors and sex workers who use it to share their steamier, sexier, and more explicit goods. Many queer adult performers have made a name for themselves and have garnered huge social media followings thanks to the work they share on OnlyFans, and the site currently boasts over 130 million users.

Though not without its fair share of criticism, OnlyFans was regarded as a place for sex works of all different backgrounds and identities to safely and virtually conduct their businesses and interact with loyal fans. Considering how stigmatized sex work still is in this day and age, OnlyFans ushered in an era where sex work could be democratized and allow people from all walks of life to get into the business and safely earn some money while doing so, but with the site's new policy of no longer allowing sexually explicit video content, many of the sex workers and adult performers (many of whom are part of the LGBTQ+ community) who helped garner a majority of the active users on the platform are now being left out in the cold, and people are rightfully upset about the move.

Including some of OnlyFans' queer content creators.

"This had been a long time coming," popular gay adult performer and OnlyFans creator Rocco Steele tells Out in reaction to the news of the site getting rid of explicit videos. "I've been hearing threats since I started on this platform almost 4 years ago."

While the fallout is still ongoing, the development of OnlyFans leaving the porn biz just highlights the need for inclusive platforms to be created that keep the best interests of its users (especially the most marginalized) at their heart and core. And from the reactions of many folks online, the need for that kind of platform can't come soon enough.

"Is it an unfortunate thing? Sure it is," Steele continues. "But now it's time for gay-owned and censor-free platforms such as Justfor.fans and 4my.fans to reap the benefits when we all permanently leave OnlyFans and fans follow us to these platforms."

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