On the morning of June 22, Karl Verboten tried to log into the Instagram account of Klub Verboten, his London kink space and bi-weekly party, but got the message: “We’ve suspended your account… Your account isn’t visible to people on Instagram, right?” now, and you can’t use it.
Founded in 2016, Klub Verboten has a team of 70 freelancers and 50 security officers and has developed into a “community for modern human interaction” with more than 70,000 followers on Instagram. The platform has been an integral part of Klub Verboten’s success, says Verboten.
“It enabled a lot of people to discover themselves and stream into a space where they can find a community and like-minded people,” says Verboten. “That direct contact was very important. Sexuality is in all of us, embedded, and as such we want to reach real people. It has really had a positive impact.” The team made sure not to post nude photos, which is not allowed on Instagram. “We only post mugshots, people only fully clothed in the event space,” says Verboten. “There’s nothing sexual about it, they could attend any rave these days.”
But in a flash last Thursday, the presence and digital community of Klub Verboten was erased from the platform. “We didn’t get any warnings, not any messages,” says Verboten. “Our account just disappeared from one second to the next.”
Verboten’s is just one of at least 45 sexuality-related accounts removed from Instagram in recent weeks. The platform has suspended users who post sex-related content, according to sex workers, activists, fetish parties and sex-positive community members who spoke to WIRED.
“It feels like a real assault on your identity, who you are, and what you believe in, especially when it comes to sex education, safe spaces, or being a sex worker,” says Reed Amber, a sex educator, sex worker activist, and host of the ” F**ks Given” ComeCurious podcast, says. “Many people think that losing an Instagram account is nothing, but it isn’t. It’s the equivalent of being fired from your job. It is your time, energy and source of income, and everything you have worked towards.”
Mitch Henderson, a Meta spokesperson, said: “We understand that our platforms play an important role in helping people express themselves and connect with communities. While we allow sexually positive content and discussion, we have nudity and sexual solicitation rules to ensure content is appropriate for everyone, especially young people. Several of the accounts brought to our attention have been erroneously deleted and have been reinstated.”
Sex education ventures and cultural initiatives, some of which had tens of thousands of followers, have also come under scrutiny, including the UK Fetish Archives at London’s Bishopsgate Institute. Other victims include @thepconversation, a sex education outlet by porn director Erika Lust; Gashtrays, a sex-positive pottery report; and Slut Social, a sex-positive event page and meme account. Even @not.a.statistic.19, an account that posts news stories and articles about the sex industry, has been temporarily restricted twice since June 13, its founder told WIRED.
