Facebook has shuttered a controversial page devoted to unprotected gay sex between males, an act commonly referred to as “barebacking.”
The page garnered more than 20,000 likes before it was pulled Tuesday—and plenty of controversy to go with it. Queerty reported men were using the page to find and hook-up with others looking for unprotected sex. Barebacking increases the chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases and even HIV.
On the now-defunct page, a “featured member” section encouraged men submit a picture and information. Other men would then comment seeking companionship, while others left their telephone numbers.
Created in August 2011, the page was administered by someone named “Val” who defended the group’s purpose, writing in the About section that members were “consenting adults.”
“Many do not understand that the bareback community is a community where you can be free, be yourself and not be judged by the status you have. This is the reason why I created this site, here you can feel safe and not judged, and hopefully meet other people to have fun.”
The page was deleted after Queerty published its story. The Huffington Post confirmed the move with a company spokesperson. Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities forbids the posting of content that is “threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity.”
However, since there was nothing explicit on the Barebacking page, it’s unclear why it was pulled. Queerty writer Dan Avery speculated that the page didn’t conform to Facebook’s family-friendly image and that the social network is free to “decide what kind of content it allows on its community pages.”
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