http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=221x134643#134679Oh my.
The igloo primitive:
Ioo (1000+ posts) Thu May-28-09 09:17 AM
Original message
I am being told to change my sig pic.
Well this may be the end of me here on DU.
After posting on Tues this post "This Morning I kissed my husband goodbye as I left work. By Dinner I could be Unmarried." and getting over 7000 hits and 138 recommends. I put myself and my personal wedding photo out for all to see...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...
I have had this pic in my sig for a LONG LONG time. I have been told that I can not say something is gay... and I am being told to remove it immediately.
This may be the end of my stay here at DU 3570 posts... I am not changing it.
The primitives pitter-patter around through half the bonfire, accusing Skins's island of being anti-gay, and then Lord Marblehead shows up:
EarlG ADMIN (1000+ posts) Thu May-28-09 10:04 AM
Response to Original message
28. Excuse me
For the record, the reason you were asked to change your sig line is because the moderators received an alert from a very active and vocal GLBT member of this very forum, who described your sig line as "disgustingly homophobic."
Given that the moderators are constantly under attack by members of this forum for not being sensitive enough to GLBT issues, they decided to defer to the wisdom of this member and err on the side of caution.
So here we have a situation where the moderators received an alert from a GLBT member telling them that someone is posting something disgustingly homophobic, they took action, and now they're being accused of homophobia.
This is the kind of thing that the moderators have to deal with all the time, and frankly I think it is very unfair to see them trashed like this when they are just trying to do the right thing.
MADem (1000+ posts) Thu May-28-09 10:21 AM
Original message
It would be nice if the "very active and vocal member" would stand up and show him or herself, and explain to everyone here why he or she felt that way. I'll bet I'm not the only one who's all ears, here.
I can see the moderator's dilemma, and I don't "blame" the mods for enforcing rules. However, are not the admins the "court of appeal" when things like this arise?
I find nothing offensive in the sig line, either, but then, I'm not gay so I might not be "allowed" to have a viable opinion on the issue (according to one or two cranky individuals here).
Perhaps one of you admins could send a PM to the easily offended loudmouth and ask him or her to further explain his or her objections?
I think the OP is getting a bum deal here, and I also think there's a point where you can't coddle the absolute obtuseness (or deliberate shitstirring, depending on POV) of others--and this is an example of reaching that point. It's flat-out plain that the sig line is ironic, MASSIVELY SO, in fact, and anyone who complains about it, and doesn't "get" that needs to get off the computer and go back to school, because they're missing a big chunk of their education. At the end of the day, they embarrass themselves by their inability to perceive the obvious.
I'd hate to lose a creative contributor to this forum over this, particularly when I think the majority of us here feel he has done nothing wrong at all.
If all else fails, perhaps you could put up a poll on the topic? Pin the poll so it doesn't sink... and leave voting open for a day or two--I'm betting most people "get" what the OP was saying with his sig line.
Ioo (1000+ posts) Thu May-28-09 10:21 AM
Response to Reply #28
35. I am not trashing them, never said thier names. So get off my back.
HERE IS THE DEAL...
I AM GAY, I am now a very special class of gay, a CA married queer! (not that I want to be special mind you)
I do not find anything wrong with my sig, and for me, I AM THE SNIFF TEST.
They are not trying to do the right thing, they are taking a rule and not reading it.
Saying "Streets are Gay" of "That's Gay" is one thing, to say Homophobia is gay... that is really TRUE...
It is in fact the one time you can say it!
It has also been my sig for 6 months..
this is silly!
And then Lord Marblehead gives in.
I'll bet my fellow alum Skins has a whole lot more backbone than that.
EarlG ADMIN (1000+ posts) Thu May-28-09 10:44 AM
Response to Reply #35
46. I understand what your sig line means.
You can keep it.
It's a highly entertaining bonfire, but I'm kind of tired of watching all the dancing, prancing, promanading, flouncing, hip-hopping, tip-toeing, through the tulips.
