Haven’t we been through enough? I say that, of course, as a Native- and when I say “Native” I mean: American Indian, Native American, Indian, or whatever term non-Indians prefer to call us in the 21st Century. That’s an important topic: what do we prefer to be called?
Since time began, names have been an important cultural rite to American Indians. There are more than 560 tribes in the United States alone, and each tribe has unique ways of celebrating the naming of an individual. In some tribes, people may have multiple names depending on who is addressing the individual. In others, a name may be given depending on something the individual achieved or accomplished. Some tribes have elders who give individuals names. No matter what the tribe, naming is almost universally important, not just as the label of a person, but as something that attaches them uniquely to their tribe, and as something that is unique to the individual (rarely will someone have the same name or be named after someone else). For me, I am able to identify members of my own tribe when I see their traditional name or when they have a traditional last name, and there’s something to be said for maintaining that cultural uniqueness.
Facebook decided to crack down on individuals who use names on Facebook that they aren’t “known” by in their everyday lives. Facebook calls it the “Authentic Names” policy. They don’t require Facebook users to use their legal name, but they do require users to go by the name they use regularly (whether their legal name or not) and that people address them by. I’m not really sure how Facebook knows how an individual is addressed in their daily life, but this name policy has disenfranchised American Indians disproportionately- mostly because we walk in two worlds. Most of us have white names and a traditional name that is specific to our tribe and tribal language. Some only have one or the other. This naming policy also impacts drag queens, transgendered individuals, and authors who use pen names. Whatever the case, it’s the 21st Century and we should be able to choose which name we use, and it shouldn’t be decided by Facebook.
Several of my Native friends have had their accounts shut down by Facebook because Facebook determined their Native names to not be their regular-use names. I have to wonder if this is how colonialism has stepped into the 21st Century. Why does it matter to Facebook whether or not Indians, drag queens, trans people, or authors utilize the names they use in their everyday lives? Shouldn’t we be able to go by the name we prefer to call ourselves? This issue isn’t going away, either. With the recent HUGE media feeding over Caitlyn Jenner’s transition, I have to wonder how Facebook will respond to the growing need for people to be able to determine their own name.
Recently, I noticed a Native cyber-friend of mine who was doubly impacted by this policy. He’s popular in the comedy circuit. He’s American Indian and also a drag queen. Charlie Ballard decided to shut his Facebook account down recently and sent an open letter to Facebook founder Marcus Zuckerberg to share his displeasure with the name policy. It reads:
Hi Mark, I am very unhappy with your “authentic names policy” on Facebook and how you’ve been attacking the LGBT community. I think it’s really superficial how you’ve been asking us to verify our identity and not everyone else. Whether I give my real name or not to Facebook, I would never submit my passport, Drivers License, or any other of my legal info to your website, let alone to any social media website. ?I mean really, do you think you’re some kind of government agency because you’re not. I will be protesting Facebook this upcoming Monday with other drag queens, trans women, furry’s, Native Americans, and other affected groups by the names policy. And then I’ll be moving my social media page to Ello.co.
I think Facebook has bigger priorities than this Big Brotheresque way of determining name authenticity. If an American Indian, drag queen, trans individual, author or anybody else wants to decide how they are known on social media, shouldn’t they be allowed to decide what they prefer to call themselves?
Watch a clip of Charlie Ballard talking about being gay and Native:
You can visit Charlie’s blog or stop by his webpage to show your support.
