OnlyFans logo/Photo courtesy of Variety
OnlyFans has announced a reversal in its decision to ban porn from its platform, Business Insider reported.
The company issued a statement early Wednesday addressing the volte-face of a plan that drew immediate backlash.
“We have secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the planned October 1 policy change,” the company’s statement read.
Earlier in the month, OnlyFans announced that it would ban porn and other explicit material from its website. The move caused a backlash, especially from sex workers who depend on producing content on the platform to make a sustainable living.
Founder and CEO Tim Stokley said the ban came from its financial backers not wanting to participate in business interests that involve sex work.
OnlyFans is in the midst of a fundraising round, and although Stokley claimed that the porn ban had nothing to do with the company’s trouble finding new investors, it did halt their search in the wake of the ban. Now, Stokley has claimed that the website would allow sexual content if banks changed their practices.
Although the reversal would seem to be good news for those affected, some of the Twitter reactions from sex workers were less than joyous.
Brian Gross, a publicist representing several sex workers, said that although the reversal is good news, sex workers are still tenuous.
“There’s always a chance [the website] can implement the policy again,” he said. “I think everyone has to keep one eye open.”