Caught myself over the last day or so realizing that I had ... grown comfortable ... with the fediverse being so rich with trans folk.

And by comfortable, I mean, very close to taking for granted the people who've done so much to build the fediverse up and make the fediverse work.

With the sudden influx of new people I've realized that if I'm not careful I could--at least for longer stretches of time than would be healthy--forget that and that doing so wouldn't be right.

Amongst the mix of hope and expectation of what good this recent influx might bring, and the technical and social frustrations newcomers also have brought, I began to lose sight of something that was pretty hard to miss on the way here: That trans folk built this, that trans folk keep it running, that trans folk made this in part for trans folk but have been so willing to welcome and share it.

(a lot of this came out of the discussions of CWs and journa.host particularly. I know it's not just been trans folk working on this and building the fediverse. I don't mean to slight anyone else, I'm trying, in part, to describe a subjective experience.)
@idlestate As a straight 80s girl & massive Joan Jett fan, I find this platform refreshing. I feel like someone has given me the keys to the Tardis & I can visit normalcy for a short time every day. When did it stop becoming mainstream to support everything androgynous?
@idlestate ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

@idlestate

The rest of us should be really grateful that trans folk did this and be very careful to respect boundaries so that this remains a site on which everyone feels comfortable.

@dickretired

just to be clear, this isn't "a" site.

This is an interoperating network of many sites.

and, to be frank, I don't want everyone to be comfortable.

At least, I don't want anyone to be comfortable accepting, let alone promoting, whatever fearmongering, bigotry or hate they might bring.

The challenge is to do better, to embrace and lift up what people are doing genuinely better for themselves and for each other.

@idlestate

I realise it is a Fediverse and that ‘site’ was inaccurate. AND I certainly did not mean that we should be comfortable with accepting hateful posts. I know of someone who has already left Mastodon because they got hateful posts about being gay.

@dickretired

I'm sorry that happened.

Thanks for clarifying.