Rule 4 - Be Nice

So another thread relating to trans rights has been locked under Rule 4 ‘Be Nice’ , but shouldn’t hatred directed at trans people be actually deleted? The thread was going really well with lots of trans, gender fluid and queer people supporting each other, but as usual the cis hets dive in to invalidate us. The mod response is not to target the prejudice but to lock the entire thread! This is wrong. Can we trans and queer and pride people on the spectrum not have a safe space here? I know the mods have a policy of non-deletion but this is wrong, were racist comments being made I’m sure they’d pounce on that pdq, but hate against trans people is unchallenged and left to stand. Apalling of you NAS!

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  • That's technically true, in the same vein that nobody really get's cancelled (they delete their own accounts) but I think it has more to do with a subjective element where the person is met with such resistance that they feel unwelcome, regardless of intent from the other person in the conversation.
    I know I just refuse to continue engaging with certain folks on this forum after a while because not everyone who asks a question is doing so because they are genuinely open to what the answer could be. And they don't have to swear at someone to be insulting.
    Especially on the topics that tend to evoke a strong emotional response from some people. I use the phrase good faith a lot because it is a key to having open discussions, and while human rights for certain groups should not be up for debate for example, discussions around expanding our understanding of these groups and topics that apply to them are really great to have, but that cannot happen if one party is just set on misunderstanding or disliking another no matter what.
    But it can very easily feel like you are "shouted down" when interacting with people like that and in those kind of threads. But identifying that kind of disingenuine and reactionary response, and when the discussion has gone "zombie" (it looks like it's alive and moving but really it's dead and not going anywhere) and knowing when to walk away and preserve our own spoons is a bit of a fine art I think.

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