All had seemed lost for the collective owners of SoMa’s historic queer bar, the Stud, during the early hours of Saturday. Meta Platforms initially suspended its Instagram account after the bar said bad actors flagged old posts with false charges of “human trafficking,” striking down a crucial marketing stream ahead of Sunday’s Dore Alley street fair — a yearly windfall.
But after online outcry — and scorn from state and local lawmakers — the social media giant backed off around 6:40 p.m. Saturday, restoring the page and the Stud’s 32,000 followers.
“We’re glad that someone at Meta discovered the mistake and fixed it. Obviously the most beloved gay bar in San Francisco isn’t engaging in human trafficking. So that algorithm needs a little tweak,” said co-owner and general manager Rachel Ryan. “We’d love to work with them to help figure out a system that doesn’t continue to empower fringe, right wing actors to harass LGBT people and business on their platform.”
The co-op nightclub on Folsom Street has been referred to as the oldest gay bar in San Francisco. Its owners, in an interview with Mission Local and in public statements on Instagram, said Meta notified them earlier in the week about a pending suspension over one of its months-old posts advertising a bygone party. The bar immediately filed an appeal, yet was officially notified Saturday afternoon that the page was disabled, according to Ryan.
“We relied on the page because it combined marketing, ticketing, and communications with clients and performers,” Ryan said. “To have that taken away with just a moment’s notice … I can’t even describe it.”
The street fair draws throngs of crowds annually from the city’s leather, kink and alternative sexuality communities. Dore Alley has been an important financial boon that helps cushion the Stud during slower months of the year, according to the co-owners.
“I’m not trying to accuse Meta of nefarious intent — they have the right to try to control this unruly platform and I understand the reasons they established certain checks and balances,” Ryan said. “But what’s really alarming is that, all of a sudden, some random person sitting on their computer, digging through archives of our events, can have the power to flag us with serious allegations and enact this very un-American censorship with just a couple of clicks.”
Meta — the American technology company owned and founded by Mark Zuckerberg and headquartered in Menlo Park — runs several premier social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram, as well as communications platforms WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads.
“The account has been restored,” said Meta spokesperson Dave Arnold in an email late Saturday. He did not say why the account was initially suspended.
Another co-owner of the Stud is Honey Mahogany, an activist, drag performer and the director of San Francisco’s Office of Transgender Initiatives. In a Friday personal video posted to Instagram, Mahogany called on Meta to reverse the decision.
More than 400 comments appeared under the post, largely stating the same demands.
The suspension had also drawn the ire of the city’s local and state lawmakers.
“.@Meta shut down the Stud’s Instagram account — on Dore Alley weekend no less — because of targeted harassment complaints by right wing extremists,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener in a post on X on Saturday. “Meta should reverse this ban immediately.”
District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey also took to X to tell Meta to restore the bar’s page.
“I’m glad it’s back up,” said Dorsey upon hearing of Meta’s reversal.
