Fugitivus Discussion Forum

When interacting on this board, we expect all forum members to be courteous and respectful. However, since the definition of courtesy and respect often differs from place to place, we offer for you a non-comprehensive example of what we expect.

• No blaming, shaming, or disrespect. This is a discussion forum, and inevitably there will be people participating with different understandings of the issues. Above all, participants are to remember that this is a safe space in which to share views and experiences, and that the tone and content of contributions are to reflect this.
  
  
• Specifically: no silencing (see this post for common silencing tactics), transphobia, racism, sexism, ageism, sizeism, ableism, homophobia, etc. If you're genuinely unsure of whether a comment you wish to make waves your privilege around like a flag, ask - just make sure it's clear you're asking, and not forcing your language or point of view on others; remember that you do not have the right to derail a thread simply to have your question answered. If you risk derailing a topic by asking, remember there is an Educate Me 101 forum specifically tailored to this need.
  
  
• Profiles with user names containing offensive terms will be deleted.
  
  
• Posts which contain spam, illegible information or junk / inappropriate links will be deleted.
  
  
• Each topic board has one or more resident moderators. Any problems (tone, content, trolling, etc) occurring in a board should be brought to the attention of that board's moderator(s).
  
  
• In general, a "3 strikes" policy will be in place for the purpose of enforcing forum rules; for a first offense, a warning will be issued - it is your responsibility to educate yourself to avoid the mistake in the future (the Educate Me 101 forum is, again, a good place to do this); for a second offense, any action from a warning up to a suspension (for some length of time to be determined on a case by case basis) may be applied; a third offense will, in most cases, result in that user being banned from the forum. Be aware that in the case of hate-mongering, moderators have the right to ban a member outright.
  
  
• Moderators have the right to: ask a member to alter their language; remove offensive posts; ban members for violations of the code of conduct; lock threads if it is not possible to resolve an issue.
  
  
• Moderators are required to abide by all forum rules, and to apply them to all members equally. In the case of a situation not adequately covered by the forum rules, moderators will reach a decision by consensus. Moderators will not discuss disciplinary measures with members not directly involved.
  
  
• Use TRIGGER WARNINGS when appropriate. For example, in the Rape FAQ forum, a trigger warning is not necessary, as the very name of the forum itself suggests that its contents contain potential triggers. If, however, you are posting in a general conversation thread and happen to link to something which contains potentially-triggering material, then a trigger warning is necessary. If you are unfamiliar with trigger warnings, when they are appropriate, and why they are necessary, please see this post written by Melissa of Shakesville regarding the nature of the trigger warning.
  
  
• Use of the moderator voice tag (designed to assist in differentiating between when a moderator is speaking as such, rather than as a board member) by a non-moderator, or any attempted imitation thereof, will result in the user being instantly banned.

If a violation of these guidelines occurs:

• It is the responsibility of the relevant forum’s dedicated moderator to provide a mod-voice warning (in the relevant thread and via PM to the offender) which specifies the violation. If the warning is ignored, it is to be followed by a 24-hour suspension of posting privilege for the person who is violating the CoC (PVCC for short). If the PVCC is the dedicated moderator of a forum, it is incumbent on any moderator to take these steps. Three suspensions will result in the outright banning of the PVCC.
  
• If the PVCC is a moderator, mod privileges will be removed at the time of suspension. They will not be reinstated until the individual involved has unequivocally and publically shown that they understand why their behaviour violated the CoC. Moderating privileges will not be reinstated until the community has had an opportunity to provide feedback to the Moderator quorum (either through a discussion thread and/or vote) with regard to returning privileges.
  
• If the PVCC returns from suspension and refuses to either engage with open discussion of the violation or indicate that they require time out from the issue (i.e. to let defensiveness fade, etc), then the moderators (excluding the PVCC mod, if that is the case) will confer to determine whether a longer suspension or outright ban is required to manage the situation.
  
• 24 hour suspensions may be implemented by a single moderator. Longer suspensions must be approved by at least two moderators; bannings (excepting those which fall under the 3-strike policy) require the agreement of three moderators. If an egregious violation requiring an immediate banning occurs, and three moderators are not available to deal with it in a reasonable timeframe, one moderator may implement an indefinite suspension, pending the availability of other moderators.

Furthermore, we recommend that you read the policies at the following websites, to get a more comprehensive view of the level of courtesy and respect that the Fugitivus Discussion Forum moderators expect.

Shakesville
Tekanji's Shrub.com Blog
Shapely Prose
The Iris Network
Racialicious

Note on Accessibility: We want to make this forum available to as many people as want to use it. If there is an issue with accessibility, please bring it to our attention so that it can be addressed.

Please note that this Code of Conduct is liable to change at any time. The only way in which we will make notification of such changes is by altering the date listed in the title of the Code of Conduct post, located in every forum. Some fora may have a secondary code of conduct which applies only to that forum, but is more strict (such as when addressing sensitive issues such as sexual assault). Ultimately, decisions of moderation - warning, suspension, banning, etc. - are (naturally) up to the moderators, and do contain an element of subjectivity. It is our hope that by having a community of moderators we can place a reasonable limit on the effects of personality conflicts. We ask that you bear with us as this community grows, develops, and changes.

Sincerely,
The Moderators