Aspidistra has been suspended for 30 days

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1

Aspidistra has been suspended for 30 days for ignoring mod instructions to stop misgendering trans people in this thread in the Pit:

SDMB rules state:

Do not deliberately misgender another poster – that is, refer to them by a pronoun or other sex-specific term indicating a gender other than the one they identify as… Likewise, do not deliberately misgender off-board figures.

Despite having been warned, Aspidistra then proceeded to make many comments such as the following:

If [trans women are] so much in the progressive bubble that they honestly think it’s common for people to use “female” to mean “person with a completely male body including penis and testicles but a woman gender identity” then they’re wrong and badly connected to reality, but not actually lying (except maybe to themselves)

If they had a lot of work done to excise the male parts of themselves, then I still think they’re wrong but could maybe tolerate “I’m not male”

If they say that to someone knowing or having reason to believe that that person’s definition of “female” is the usual one - person born with a female reproductive system - then yes, that’s a lie.

This is misgendering and is not permitted on this board.

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Should have been a full ban but thanks for at least this.

3

Seconded.

4

Thirded.

5

Moderating]
I’m temporarily closing this thread while we work out how to handle the moderation of a particular poster. I will reopen it after we’ve settled on a consensus.
[/Moderating]

Since you have made a decision why wasn’t that thread re-opened?

6

I’m actually pretty happy with the ruling - because it hits all the bits the poster in question did in terms of breaking the rules of the community. First, the misgendering, second, their own acknowledgement in that thread (and others!) that it wasn’t from ignorance of the rules, and third, and most obvious, the unwillingness to follow moderator instructions.

They did the deed, they knew it was against the rules, and they ignored moderator instructions to correct their actions. It’s a three-peat of willful action that needs a severe punishment. I do wonder (slightly) at the lack of the topic ban, but suspect that’s because we would rather leave the maximum possibility of having respectful if dissenting conversation on the topic, even if I wonder if it’s truly possible.

No matter, well done modloop!

7

The Modloop of Truth (Moditrue) working well as usual.

8

I wouldn’t characterize this outcome as “working well”, but some action is better than nothing.

9

Good to see that you clearly agree with this suspension!

Yeah, I can’t be the only one that will notice the link at the bottom,
Aspidistra finds loophole in hate speech rules?
About This Message Board 2022
Maybe if we give it another three years (to the month, no less!) Aspidistra will find a way to not break this easy to follow rule.

10

She should be banned instead of just suspended, but I guess transphobia and misgendering still isn’t severe enough for the mods on this board. Figures, we trans people still aren’t important enough for hate and bigotry against us to really face any real consequences…

11

Seems fair.

For future reference, please could the mods tell us how she should have written those comments to express the same meaning, but be within the rules?

12

I’m not a Mod but if I were there is no way that I’d give any assistance to anyone who might want to rules lawyer. All one has to do is not be a bigoted asshole. Nearly all of us are able to manage that without assistance.

13

Sure: I’ve rewritten it without misgendering anyone. Looks like this:

You can thank increased rights for trans folk for this. Now there are many widely-known cases of transwomen being openly trans without undergoing surgery. Apparently these women haven’t been punished, despite everyone around them knowing that they are trans.

Thing is, without the misgendering, the desire to persecute and marginalize transwomen is laid bare.

14

Thanks. I think Aspidistra would have to say whether that accurately conveys her meaning, but what about the one below in italics?

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Where they accuse transwomen of lying? That one’s beyond help, and if you don’t understand why, I won’t be explaining it here.

16

This all day.

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I want to understand if the issue is the wording, or whether some ideas are simply not allowed to be expressed in any form.

If the issue is wording then a clearer guide would be useful for everyone and particularly for Aspidistra - assuming she’s willing to follow it. Personally, I’ve always struggled to judge whether something will be offensive or not in general - the result of autism - and still more when I am accustomed to extremely different standards in other spaces. I expect the latter is true for Aspidistra too, even if not the former.

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Don’t blame autism for your hatred of us. You and Aspidistra have been given far too many chances already, and now you are already looking for ways to get around the board’s rules, just like Aspidistra will try to again with their hatred as well.

You both need to go, permanently.

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Yes, the rules also state:

  1. Please do not state or imply that transgender people are mentally ill. We realize the question remains controversial. However, we’re not going to settle the matter here, and raising it tends to poison other discussion of transgender issues. Please keep your opinions on the subject to yourself.

So accusing all trans people (and their supporters) of either lying or being delusional is against the rules.

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For any who were fans of “House, MD,” there was a great scene. A young male patient was an absolute jerk. It seemed it could be a symptom of whatever his disease was. In order to draw blood, one of Dr. House’s fellows gives him a sedative, unbeknownst to the mother:

Neither should we.