# Do the existing rules prohibit people from debating the gender of people who identify as transgender?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-existing-rules-prohibit-people-from-debating-the-gender-of-people-who-identify-as-transgender/927272>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [December 5, 2020, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-existing-rules-prohibit-people-from-debating-the-gender-of-people-who-identify-as-transgender/927272 "2020-12-05T05:45:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 24

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**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-existing-rules-prohibit-people-from-debating-the-gender-of-people-who-identify-as-transgender/927272/462 "2020-12-12T15:25:26Z")

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I’ve been gone all week and am playing catch-up, so I apologise if I’m missing things.

> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> And on the gripping hand, I don’t moderate great debates or P&E. And that’s where most of the vitriol is likely to happen. (or possibly the pit, I suppose.)

I wonder if this is true. My impression is most of the train wrecks have been where the standards for OPs and discussion are lower.

Some topics are poorly suited for IMHO. And I think we need to be open to people posting less-informed OPs in GD. We can learn about a topic even if the OP doesn’t know enough about it to formulate a careful argument.

Although balancing that against hit-and-run turd-drops may be tricky. And it does require truly active moderation of hijacks and not waiting two full days to deal with problems.

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**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-existing-rules-prohibit-people-from-debating-the-gender-of-people-who-identify-as-transgender/927272/463 "2020-12-25T04:16:09Z")

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> [@octopus](#):
>
> Actually in the US at least the right to free speech includes so called hate speech. Now forums don’t have to allow any speech but that’s a different subject. Furthermore, merely labeling speech hateful because the subject matter is personal doesn’t necessarily make it so.

Just because the USA is a shithole country that constitutionally protects the promotion of hatred does not mean that this USA based message board should be a shithole when it comes to respect for gender identity.

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-existing-rules-prohibit-people-from-debating-the-gender-of-people-who-identify-as-transgender/927272/464 "2020-12-25T20:04:49Z")

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> [@Muffin](#):
>
> Just because the USA is a shithole country that constitutionally protects the promotion of hatred does not mean that this USA based message board should be a shithole when it comes to respect for gender identity.

**Moderator Note**

Let’s dial back the invective in ATMB. And let’s stick to the subject in the OP rather than political jabs.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-existing-rules-prohibit-people-from-debating-the-gender-of-people-who-identify-as-transgender/927272.md?page=23)