Filed by: Bil Browning
March 4, 2008 5:25 PM

Bilerico project

"Not only is this discouraging readers, it's making the trans community look remarkably silly and turning off supporters. While I know that the entire trans community at large isn't responsible for the reprehensible behavior of a few blog commenters, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I'm less likely to read trans posts or take some people seriously. Other readers may not come back to the site at all if they're sufficiently perturbed. Still others may remember only the ->-bleeped-<- wars we've been enduring and think "There's no way in hell I'm going anywhere near that subject.""

I think that everyone here should read the comments to this post.

Here at Susan's, we have a forum that is educational, helpful, and respectful to each other.  It requires a firm hand in moderation and sadly, that runs some people off.  But it is interesting to note that total freedom of expression drives even more people away.  Read what people who support us ultimately decide on this post.

We aren't very much of a community. We have very little in the way of organization. There just aren't that many of us willing to get out and be vocal. When we do get vocal, we should be reasonable and even tempered.  Name calling and yelling has never helped anyone's cause.

Cindi

This is definitely a very serious problem. Since getting involved in the South African trans community online I've come across two or three firebrands that threaten to alienate us even further in an already conservative society. Activism is important, but we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard of being reasonable and understanding, or we just give our enemies ammo to turn us into the stereotypical "Jerry Springer ->-bleeped-<-".

Hi, I use to have a couple of blogs, but could never learn how to navigate around in them so I just let them go. I certainly don't have any desire in reopening those blogs, nor do I have any notion of joining another one. I don't do to well with aggressive behavior. All I can say is that I pray these blog wars end soon, their certainly not doing anyone any good from what I gathered reading in part the posts in that link. And I must agree that this site really does have quite a sufficient amount of data stored away that the members can access any time they wish. Also I wanted to add that there are certainly a good number of very good many awesome young folks here that I believe deserve to have a pat on the back. They have their stuff together. Totally different then the members I was association with about 7 years ago on this board.

Ye all have a wonderful day, May God Bless

Cindy