A Clarification

[FrBrGr]

Denizens, I try to keep as low a profile as I can when it comes to the moderation of our forums and the enforcement of our Code of Conduct. I want to make it perfectly clear that our moderators do a magnificent job in maintaining the integrity of The Fur Den community, and White Fox does an impeccable job as our Chief Administrator. Today, however, in the midst of the Christmas holiday, when many in our management team are visiting with family or traveling to other venues, a situation arose on this forum that I felt demanded immediate attention, and before things got out of control. I reacted to this situation, and as the result, I locked a thread, which is something that all of us (i.e., mods and admins) have agreed to not do, unless the situation threatens the welfare of the community. I felt the welfare of our community was threatened by a very volatile and controversial subject, and so I reacted. In case you missed the reaction, I wanted to reprint it here, as a way of clarifying our Code of Conduct, and as a way of clarifying The Fur Den's policy about identity:

 

Denizens, I think it's time for me to weigh in on this - and then lock this thread. I have a couple of reasons for doing this, not the least of which is that I have already had to delete a post that was an all-out attack on one of our members (a flagrant violation of our Code of Conduct) and my experience is that when the flame-throwers come out, it's time to put an end to it. For the record, the thread has wandered off the topic of fur.

 

If, indeed, anyone is a male who wants to be a female, then I absolutely do not have a problem with that. My concern and support for the transgendered community is, or should be, well-known by now. Where this becomes a problem, though, is when anyone decides to become a member of this community, posing as a member of the opposite sex - and leads the membership to believe this to be a fact. This is where the line must be drawn. If a TV/crossdresser wants to be a member of the Den, that is absolutely OK - as long as that member lets us know that he - or she - is expressing his/her full personality. That way, no one is deceived. No one is mislead, no one is disappointed, no one is given false hope, and therefore no one is heartbroken. (C'mon people - "boys will be boys" and the nature of boys is to pursue the girl!) There aren't that many "GG's" (Genuine Girls) in the Den, and when a female personality appears on one of our boards, she is going to attract a great deal of attention - especially the attention of the males in our community. What has happened is that the men have been deceived again and again by other men posing as females, and as a result, even the "GG's" that become members here are subjected to a great deal of suspicion and disrespect, and, for all intents and purposes, are "guilty until proven innocent." This is wrong! This should not happen - and that's why I must insist that we have a "no tolerance" policy in the Den when it comes to this matter. With all due respect to dissenting views, which arise out of the concern for fairness, I must acknowledge those concerns, but I have to make a decision that has the welfare of the community as a whole as my priority. If that means that I have hurt someone's feelings in the process, I sincerely apologize for that. That is not my purpose. I hope that we can have agreement in this very important matter.