Are you serious about mending fences with GLBT posters? It doesn't look like it.

[Pab Sungenis]

I posted this in GLBT, where we've been discussing the alleged desire of the DU powers-that-be to "mend fences."

I'll tell you one thing that needs to happen right away if we're serious about mending fences between DU management and the GLBT community.

The homophobes have to start being called to account.

Alerted homophobic posts have to start disappearing. Repeat homophobes need to start being TS'd.

The moderators have to start coming down on the homophobes at least as hard as they do the gays.

Is that going to happen?

Response from an administrator noted as abusive in the past:

Please do not start threads to call out the moderators or question moderator decisions.

Please do use the alert system to let us know about any posts you feel may break our rules. You may also contact the administrators directly if you disagree with moderator decisions.

So I ask you now:

* Are you serious about mending fences? Or has it all been just so much eyewash?
* Are you going to start calling abusive and homophobic posters to account?
* Are you going to start tombstoning repeat homophobes the way you tombstoned a GLBT poster for just saying the number 7?
* And how are we going to mend fences if we're not allowed to bring up issues?

And as always

* Are GLBT posters welcome here?

[Skinner]

1. You may have heard that we are currently redesigning the site from scratch.

And as part of that project, we are completely changing the way the site is run.

I was serious about mending fences. But I think it is fairly obvious that I am not going to adequately address anyone's complaints -- in the LGBT forum or elsewhere on DU -- if we keep running DU the way we run it now.

At this point, any changes we make here on DU2 are not going to make much difference to the big picture. All I can say is that DU3 is going to be very different. I hope (and believe) that most people will be much happier in our new software.

[Pab Sungenis]

2. Meanwhile, the abuse continues here on DU2.

If these matters aren't addressed, there won't be any GLBT posters left to migrate to DU3. Abusive moderators need to be removed or taken off duty in GLBT. Homophobes need to be censured at least as heavy-handedly as gays. And repeat offenders need to be banned.

The whole "gay caveman" thread, where abusive posts are let stand but ones questioning the homophobia of those offending posters are deleted, is a perfect example. THIS is why we don't feel welcome here.

[Skinner]

3. I wish the situation in the "gay caveman" thread were that clear-cut.

The moderators are responding to whatever alerts they receive, and when that happens they are enforcing the rules as they are written. There are so many variables that can influence what gets dealt with and what doesn't. And most of them are not in the moderators' hands. The moderators are not your problem.

The problem is that we are saddled with an outdated system that needs to be fixed. We're working our asses off to fix it.