Twitter Reacts To OnlyFans Banning Sexually Explicit Content: ‘Sex Work Is Work’

Social media users were not impressed after OnlyFans announced its decision to ban sexually explicit content from its platform.

Starting this fall, the subscription-based platform — which gained popularity for its adult content — said in a statement to Variety that it will no longer allow its users to post any content "containing sexually explicit conduct." OnlyFans explained that it reached the decision "to comply with the requests of our banking partners and payout providers."

Following the announcement, OnlyFans became a trending topic on Twitter, where social media users weighed in on the move. While some joked that thousands of OnlyFans users "are going to have to get real jobs," many others slammed the company for what they believe was the abandonment of the sex workers who helped it build its fame and business.

"OnlyFans restricting their content is one of the slimiest things I've seen a platform do. Sex work is work and it was work that put OnlyFans on the map and made it so successful," YouTuber Ethan Mark Nestor-Darling, also known as CrankGameplays, tweeted. "This sucks for the platform and it sucks [1,000 times] more for the creators that put so much into it."

"OnlyFans without nudity is like basketball with no ball," actor Paul Elia wrote, According to Variety, the site said it will continue to allow creators to post content containing nudity "as long as it is consistent with our Acceptable Use Policy."

Meanwhile, screenwriter Kevin Fredericks compared OnlyFans banning sexually explicit photos and videos to "Chick-fil-A not selling chicken," adding that it's their "main thing."

"Sex work is valid work and OnlyFans allows complete autonomy not always afforded to minorities," singer Tom Aspaul wrote on Twitter, adding that the move was "unfathomable" and that he hopes the platform "will realize the mistake they're making."

"Sex work is real work. OnlyFans banning sexually explicit content after benefiting from it/their platform growing because it is gross, horrible, unacceptable. Support sex workers," another Twitter user said.

However, others defended OnlyFans, claiming the company likely wouldn't have made this decision if it had a better option.

"Folks: It's not like blocking sex work from the platform is OnlyFans' idea. They know damn well who their users are. They've been told by Visa and MC that it's either block sex work on the platform or get a complete lifetime ban from accepting credit cards," one person wrote.

"The real problem is the payment processors and banks. Until we have a sex-positive payment network, this is not going to change," another commented.

"It’s MasterCard. MasterCard is introducing new compliance agreements on October 15th. Within this compliance, they are asking that every single sex scene has a corresponding 2257 accompanying it. This is literally impossible for OF to provide," another user tweeted.

"I think it all begins and ends with Visa and MasterCard," a fourth user opined.

"Banks hate porn," another wrote.

OnlyFans has around 130 million users, with around 2 million creators who post content for subscribers. Myles Jackman, an obscenity lawyer, told the PA news agency that creators who post adult content have already started contemplating moving to another website.

"It's difficult to see that OnlyFans will survive purely as an influencer site – it's possible, but considering the entire content base has been pornography and now it's not going to be anymore, I think it’s going to go the way of Tumblr," he said. Tumblr banned adult content in 2018 and sold for just $3 million the following year — after once being purchased for $1.1 billion.

Creator Yasmina Khan, who claimed she earns around $30,000 a month on OnlyFans, told PA that she's "already chatted to my subscribers about this and they're like, 'OK, wherever you’re going, we'll follow'."

Meanwhile, OnlyFans said in its statement that it will share more details about the transition in the next few weeks and "will actively support and guide our creators through this change in content guidelines."