Create a 10-word scroll-stopping headline for: Local Drag Queen and Business Owner Banned From Instagram | Vibe NC

When it launched in 2010, Instagram was primarily a way to document and share memories—a social photobook. 

The Instagram of today, owned by Meta since 2012, is a much more powerful platform—a search engine, social app, and shopping hub all in one, with the ephemeral algorithmic concept of “discovery” as the core draw for its reported 3 billion users. For artists and small business owners trying to reach people, having an Instagram account is basically a non-negotiable. 

That’s why Naomi Dix—the owner of Club ERA, and one of North Carolina’s most prominent drag queens—was devastated when, in the span of less than thirty minutes on June 16, smack in the middle of Pride Month, she was whisked through Instagram’s mercurial content moderation system and banned from the app. 

Meta did not respond to the INDY’s request for comment about the account suspensions.

“Pretty much 90% of our marketing and promotion is done through Instagram,” said Dix, emphasizing that Instagram is one of the only ways for minority-owned businesses and LGBTQ creators to reach audiences. 

Dix opened Club ERA, a queer, gay, and trans nightclub in June 2024 on South Dillard Street in Durham. Over the years, Dix has built a following of 5,600 on her personal account and 8,000 on the club account; together, the two have served as go-to hubs for locals to learn about drag shows, queer events, and community resources. Dix frequently cross-promotes posts from the LGBTQ Center of Durham that share resources about sexual assault, mental health, and safety. 

Dix said that she initially got a message from Instagram saying that it was removing three Club ERA posts for “violating community standards.” The message prompted her to hit a button accepting the decision, which she did. 

“Not even five minutes later I was automatically logged out of my account,” Dix says. “I got an email about 10 minutes later saying, ‘If you would like to appeal this decision, please hit appeal.’ I didn’t know what decision I was appealing, because I didn’t get any sort of notification that something was wrong.” 

A few minutes after she appealed, Dix said she was notified that the appeal had been rejected and that the Club ERA account had been shut down. Her personal account, which was linked to the business Instagram, was also shuttered.

“I really wish I could get your account restored, but trust me, for now I have no stone unturned,” the Meta AI support chat wrote, in screenshots reviewed by the INDY. “However, I hope that you understand there is no possible option to reverse this decision now.” 

Community members, including Drag Queen Stormie Daie and…