Facebook Reps Grilled at Meeting Over Name Policy

Tempers flared as around 100 community members faced off with Facebook representatives over continuing criticism of its real name policy.

Despite the confrontational nature of the meeting, Facebook officials reiterated a change to the policy that allows people in certain circumstances to explain their situation.

Facebook has always required people to use their real, or legal, name. But that has created issues as others have flagged accounts, often those of trans people and drag queens, resulting in account suspensions.

Facebook had previously announced that it would now also require people who flag other users for using a fake name to provide more information and context. False flagging, as it is known, is an acknowledged form of harassment.

The December 15 meeting with Facebook reps at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center was the result of an agreement the social media giant reached with the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee after some in the community called for Facebook to be banned from marching in this year's Pride parade in June. The Pride board denied that request but arranged for the community meeting.

Many drag queens are known professionally by their drag names, while many trans people change their names to match their post-transition identity. A number of transgender people have said that their current names are the names they live by and are in fact their real names.

Also at issue were complaints from battered women who were using pseudonyms on Facebook in order to remain in contact with family and friends while staying hidden from their abusers. A number of women at the meeting pointed out that forcing them to use their real names online could put them at risk for further abuse.

The most significant change allows people who are facing special circumstances, such as gender transition, to explain their situations. People can now choose options which verify whether or not they face stalking or abuse issues, if they identify as LGBT or are an ethnic minority - there have been instances in which individuals with ethnic names were reported as "fake," even those their names were actual birth names.

Facebook is also continuing to expand the kinds of ID it will accept when verifying a person is who they say they are.

The panel was made up of community members and Facebook representatives: Clair Farley, the LGBT center's associate director of economic development; Carmen Morrison, also known as drag king Alex U Inn of the performance group Momma's Boyz; Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence; and from Facebook, Todd Gage, product manager; Justin Osofsky, vice president of global operations; and Alex Schultz, vice president of growth.

Sergio Quintana of KGO-TV moderated the meeting.

Gage and Schultz said they were gay men. Schultz, according to Quintana's introduction, has been involved with most of Facebook's LGBT initiatives, including Celebrate Pride, which enabled users to bathe their profile photos in the colors of the rainbow flag.

"You are incredibly important to us," said Schultz. "You are our neighbors. For many people in this room, their identity is chosen and fought for. We want people to use the names they're known by on the site."

Gage said that Facebook helped him connect with other LGBT people when he first came out.

"I've worked hard to make Facebook safer for my community," he said, acknowledging that he knew that many individuals had been hurt by the real names policy.

"I am sorry," he said. "We are learning. We listened to people and we made changes. This isn't the end of it - I care about this community."

Roma, who has helped spearhead the My Name Is Coalition and has met with Facebook staff over the past year, noted part of the problem stems from anti-LGBT people who report others.

"Facebook doesn't hate LGBT people," Sister Roma pointed out, adding that it was often other homophobic users who were reporting allegedly fake profiles. "They always look to work with us. They don't police the site, the people who report us are bullies."

Osofsky presented a slide show that explained the changes that Facebook is making to its reporting and verification processes.

"How about getting rid of the reporting option?" demanded an audience member who did not state their name. "Why was I thrown out?"

Other attendees shouted out similar questions. "A conversation has two sides," said Quintana, as he asked people to speak one at a time. "Please be patient."

Kin Folkz, an African-American queer person, wasn't buying it.

"When are you going to come to cities with ethnic minorities?" Folkz demanded, also protesting the fact that longtime gay African-American activist Blackberri had been locked out of his Facebook account. "That's his real name!" Folkz stated.

In fact, Blackberri, who has long used one name, posted a note on his Facebook page December 16, "Hey Y'all I'm back." It appeared his account had been inactive since May.

"There's a lot of pain in this room," Inn pointed out. "What's the timeline for people to get their names back?"

Schultz replied that he wasn't sure. He said that the new reporting features were now available to 1 percent of all Facebook users, and would continue to be rolled out until they were available to all. The new features are available to Bay Area users.

"The pain Alex speaks of is the pain of a community facing discrimination," said Farley. "This is broader than Facebook."

Gage said the company is trying to make improvements.

"We hear you and we appreciate you speaking so candidly," said Gage. "We are trying to make this better. There are two components to the verification process. We're trying to verify that the person we're interacting with is the person on the account. We're asking you to demonstrate the name you go by."

Starchild, an escort and sex workers' rights advocate who goes by one name, feels that Facebook's customer service is sorely lacking. He said he was locked out of his account six months ago and isn't sure he wants to return. He demanded that Facebook set up phone banks so that users could interact with a real person.

"I'd like your phone number so I can call you if there's an issue," Starchild said to Gage, who declined to provide his number amid much booing.

Azure Jane Lunatic said that she was taught never to give her name to strangers online. She added that she had just lost her job.

"I have a chance to use Facebook to connect with co-workers and potential job leads," she said. "As long as Facebook requires one authentic identity, as long as I live in a society that makes a pariah of people of my authentic identity, I have to make this choice."

As the meeting drew to a close, attendees were invited to meet face-to-face with Facebook reps who came to the meeting in order to help them resolve their Facebook identity issues. Some hoped that their accounts would be restored to them that same night.

"We need to continue this conversation," said Farley. "I'd like data to be collected on how many LGBT people use Facebook."

Roma said that work would continue.

"I hear you," said Roma. "We hear you. We feel your frustration. This is not over. All these issues will be addressed."

Facebook's policy changes can be viewed at http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2015/12/community-support-fyi-improving-the-names-process-on-facebook