Queerty’s Comment Policy

OUR POLICY IN A NUTSHELL
We aim to provide a fun, entertaining, and enjoyable space that celebrates LGBTQ people and culture. We encourage people to comment on articles and engage in conversations, and we strongly discourage (and will not allow) being mean-spirited.

For a more detailed explanation of our rules, keep reading. (If you choose not to keep reading and violate one of the rules listed below, that’s on you.)

THE PURPOSE OF COMMENTING
Just so there’s no confusion, we encourage comments on this site. We want to know your opinion. Whether you have more information, new information, interesting links to share, or a different perspective to offer, we want to hear from you. And also, so you can talk amongst yourselves. Sometimes we give a specific question for comment, but commenting is welcomed and encouraged on all of our articles.

In a perfect world, that would be the end of this topic. But we don’t live in a perfect world, and there are a lot of people out there who will try to ruin this space. So we have to make some rules:

Comment threads are not the place to act like children. That means we won’t allow name-calling, bigotry or ignorance, throwing profanity at other readers, or calling them idiots. It’s also not a place to say “Queerty sucks”… because, while that may be true, you really shouldn’t be wasting your time visiting, let alone posting on, a site that sucks.

Here are the rest of the rules:

PERMANENCE
Comments will not be deleted or amended by request. Before posting a comment, be sure you actually want to have your words published on the Internet forever. Do not ask us to remove them. Do not ask us to change your name. Do not ask us to edit them.

(Please note: This policy is regarding folks who want to change the name on their profile to avoid taking any real-life responsibility for the things they say here. If you are a trans or non-binary person going through a name change process, we will absolutely work with you to make sure this site reflects your correct name. Please contact us at holla AT queerty DOT com if you need help with this.)

QUEERTY’S RIGHTS
First and foremost, we reserve the right to keep Queerty a safe, cordial place for readers to interact with us and each other, even if that means blocking you. We prioritize the safe, positive environment of this site above your personal rhetoric. If you are banned and you contact us to be let back in, don’t be surprised if your request is denied… we’re not obligated to give second chances, and you wouldn’t need one if you weren’t an asshole to begin with. If you feel the need to remind us that you have a first amendment right to say any awful thing you want, we agree, go to town sharing your opinions on your own website, not here.

At the bottom of our page is a little logo and a catchphrase… “Free of an agenda… except that gay one.” We’ve been proud of that for a long time, and we don’t plan to change it. However, we also recognize that we live in a highly politicized culture and society right now and that many things that shouldn’t be partisan have become so. Because of this, there are times when we might appear to “have an agenda” or be partisan. For instance, we won’t allow anti-woman rhetoric (calling a pregnant woman a ‘whore’, for instance). That’s not because we’re partisan about women’s issues… it’s because we believe in basic dignity for women. If you are racist, you will get banned… not because we’re “a part of the liberal machine”… but because it’s wrong to be racist. If you’re looking for a site where you can mouth off without consequence, Queerty is not that site. And it has nothing to do with politics.

PROHIBITED, OR “WHAT CONSTITUTES ‘ABUSE?'”
Before posting, consider the impact your words will have. If that impact is negative, reconsider what you’re saying and why. Respectful debate is encouraged, personal attacks are not. Umbrella stereotypes are discouraged (meaning don’t lump all people into one negative stereotype like “liberals”, “SJWs”, trans people, gay men, etc).

Overt racism, sexism, threats of violence, or any content that does harm to other members will not be tolerated, and will likely result in a permanent ban. We reserve the right to delete “fake news” or other attempts to disseminate purposefully inaccurate information on our website.

WE CARE ABOUT YOUR PRIVACY TOO
Please also refer to our Privacy Policy, it’s a fun read.