What happened to this forum?

[foreigncorrespondent]

Has it gone to the dogs or what?

I remember when those of us who identified as queer got a long... but as the years passed certain cliques formed and most of us drifted into the abyss.

Now there are those here I don't get along with, and I guarantee you, I don't have them on ignore either. I just tend to not pay attention to them, but choose not to put them on ignore for the soul reason, if they identify as queer and need backing up during homophobic crap, then I will defend them to the best of my ability.

In the last week though I have witnessed the LGBTIQQ voices here at DU have dropped my two. One because he was melting down and brought it on himself. A decision I respect and agree with. However now we have lost another voice, and one who happened to be a good voice, and trying to do right by us.

Two people were elected to work as a liaison FOR US... yet when one makes a decision which was based on a personal attack situation, then that person is jumped on in public, in the forum. Couldn't it be handled in PM's rather than ending up looking like a total gang bang? It is different when you don't agree with a decision huh? Well get used to it folks, because there will probably be a lot of decisions made during the course of the coming months, and you won't be agreeing with them all.

Here we are as queers crying that we are robbed of our rights, and here at DU our voices... yet how do we expect to achieve anything, when we as a group who should be working together, but can't get it together enough to do just that? So isn't it about time we all got over ourselves and began working together properly?

I for one will miss Pab... not because he was a great mate or anything like that, but because he had a brilliant voice. There are so few of those left here at DU.

[Tesha]

1. I'm not a member of this community, just a friend. But I will note that...

...electronic communities (communities that exist solely
in Cyberspace) all have a similar trajectory and it has
been true for all the three or four decades that electronic
communities have existed.

Phase one: the "Isn't it great that we have this forum!"
stage where everyone is elated simply to be here

Phase two: the "Productive" phase where the community
has gotten to know each other and is working to do good
things, support each other, and the like.

Phase three: the "wearout" phase where people have grown
appart, old anymosities have built up and festered, and hier-
archies inadvertent or not, have formed and become rigid.
Community old farts resent new community upstarts arriving
and having their own ideas of how the community should
work.

It's also worth noting that loss of a common enemy often
precipitates the onset of Phase three. Certainly the transition
from Bush (an excruciatingly-clear common enemy) to Obama
(who was supposed to be on our side) has had that effect
all over DU.

Take these observations as you will.

Tesha

[foreigncorrespondent]

4. Thanks for your input. (n/t)

n/t

[RKP5637]

10. Excellent analysis IMO! n/t

[yardwork]

2. I'm disgusted by what has happened here in the past week, and I will be taking a break.

[foreigncorrespondent]

3. And you will be missed as well. (n/t)

n/t

[Vanje]

5. Me too. See ya

I'm going to take my smarmy self outta here for a while.
Be well.

[stevenleser]

7. My please don't for Yardwork's absence applies to you as well. nt

[Vanje]

8. ~~~~

If I need a place to bluster in and call people "assholes" with absolute impunity.
I'll know just where to come.

[Zorra]

13. +1

[stevenleser]

6. Please don't.

I disagree with you a fair amount but your comments are valued!

[RKP5637]

11. Hope you won't be gone too long. I always enjoy reading your posts! n/t

[QC]

9. This forum has long been a source of far more pain than comfort

for DU's few remaining LGBT members.

Frankly, there is no longer any good reason to come here, other than the vain wish that things might get better.

[RKP5637]

12. I used to come over here for comfort, but anymore I just leave agitated. Some of the

hatefulness and dissension has been amazing.

[Prism]

14. Fun never ends for us

We're so adventurous.

At least, every now and again.

http://grooveshark.com/#/search?q=the+new+adventures+of+winnie+the+pooh

[Zorra]

15. Great post.

Thanks.

If any group ever needed to hang together in solidarity, it's us, the GLBTIQ community, both here at DU and in the "real world"...everywhere.