OnlyFans Reverses Ban on Sexually Explicit Content

OnlyFans has suspended its upcoming policy change to restrict sexually explicit material. The U.K. content-creator subscription site, which became popular among sex workers as a place to safely sell nude and sexually explicit content, announced the reversal on Wednesday. The policy was scheduled to go into effect Oct. 1 and would have barred creators from posting "content that contains sexually explicit conduct." The company later cited banks as the reason for the ban.

The company announced the reversal in a tweet on Wednesday, thanking "everyone for making your voices heard." The company said that after having "secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community" – the site claims to have more than 130 million registered users and over 2 million creators, according to Variety – they "have suspended the planned October 1 policy change." OnlyFans said it "stands for inclusion and we will continue to provide a home for all creators." The company did not, however, say if the now suspended policy change would take effect at a later date. In a statement to multiple outlets including CNN, OnlyFans said, "the proposed October 1, 2021 changes are no longer required due to banking partners' assurances that OnlyFans can support all genres of creators."

The reversal comes just six days after OnlyFans sparked intense controversy when it announced it would "prohibit the posting of any content containing sexually-explicit conduct" beginning on Oct. 1, 2021. The company said it was an effort to ensure "long-term sustainability" and "host an inclusive community of creators and fans." In an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, founder and CEO Tim Stokely placed the blame on financial institutions that do not want their business connected to sex work, explaining, "the change in policy, we had no choice — the short answer is banks." Stokely that banking corporations such as JP Morgan Chase, Bank of New York Mellon and the U.K.'s Metro Bank "cite reputational risk and refuse our business." Stokes said the company pays "over 1 million creators over $300 million every month," though banks refuse to process transactions related to sex work.

Following the announcement of the proposed ban, OnlyFans became marred in controversy as content creators spoke out. One content creator told the Daily Mail they felt "betrayed" by the policy change. That creator said, "sex workers built this platform, it's a business to us. We were the ones who promoted OnlyFans across social media. They used us to build the site and now they're throwing us away." In its Wednesday policy reversal announcement, OnlyFans said "an official communication to creators will be emailed shortly."