We have made an adjustment to DU's "No bigotry/insensitivity" rule: please read

[EarlG]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to let you know about a change that we've made to our "No bigotry/insensitivity" rule. To be blunt, there's been some pretty hurtful stuff posted about trans people on DU recently, and Juries have been letting a lot of it slide. This has created an unpleasant atmosphere for our trans members, who have been left without much recourse as Juries regularly fail to remove transphobic posts.

I believe the reason for this is pretty straightforward: it's not that we have a lot of transphobic DU members serving on Juries, it's just that many DU members aren't actually very familiar with what transphobia looks like. And if a Jury member can't see a problem with a post, then obviously they are unlikely to vote to remove that post.

So it is my hope that we can remedy this with a brief addition to the current "No bigotry/insensitivity" rule which explains what to look out for when serving on a Jury, and what to avoid when posting. The spirit and wording of the original rule have not changed -- we have added one new line asking members to take care when highlighting bigoted comments by public figures, and a short new paragraph containing DU's definition of transphobia.

I want to offer my sincere thanks to IngridsLittleAngel who approached me about this problem some time ago on behalf of DU's trans members and allies, and discussed possible solutions with me at length. After concluding that the best option at this time would be to provide DU members with more information about transphobia so that they can make better decisions while posting and serving on Juries, I asked if she could help me craft the new informational paragraph. She wrote the initial text that became the basis for what is now in the rule. Here is the rule in full:

NO BIGOTRY/INSENSITIVITY

Members are expected to respect diversity and demonstrate an appropriate level of sensitivity when discussing related topics. Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, or other forms of bigoted intolerance are not permitted. When highlighting bigoted comments by a public figure, members should take care to avoid the impression that they agree with those comments.

For your information, our definition of transphobia includes, but is not limited to: Misgendering, deadnaming, or otherwise refusing to recognize a trans person's gender identity; Arguing that trans people are not "real" men or women; Arguing that trans people should not have the same rights as cis people -- for example, the right to use public restrooms or play sports that match their gender identity; Arguing that there is any scientific basis for discriminating against trans people.

Why we have this rule: Democratic Underground is a diverse community which includes people of every race, sex, religious belief (or lack thereof), sexual orientation, gender identity, body type, disability, age, etc. We want to promote a welcoming atmosphere for all of our members, and do not want to provide a platform for bigotry.

I hope that all DUers will take this information on board, and use it when posting, and serving on Juries. Thanks for reading, and thanks for being here at DU.



EarlG (Admin)