Hey everyone.

So some people have approached me about my thoughts on the CG and the RG as well as the recent changes that were made to the document. In order to help keep myself from becoming a broken record, I figured I'd just put my thoughts down here so as to make it easier to link to in the near future, as this will likely be something I can refer back to in the future. This may get a bit TL:DR, but all I ask is to please give me a chance to fully layout my thoughts.

The issue in question, as some may or may not know, was that there was an outcry recently over our edited Ratings Guide which contained language that those who were either part of or supported the trans community found to be either offensive or potentially offensive. The response varied from the calm "hey, just wanna let you know this could be viewed as offensive" to people outright calling us the staff names for our "sick and twisted views" and everything in between.

This isn't of course the first time our site had some form of outcry about our rules. Within the first few months of the site we faced a serious dilemma over the language in our rules concerning how we rated nudity. Many artists from all walks of life, background, and of different mediums, approached us back then about how they viewed that it was unfair of us to force artistic nudity into the same rating to be placed alongside hardcore pornography. There was a difference, they noted, between someone wishing to learn express and appreciate human or human-like anatomy and someone wishing to view images which were clearly of a pornographic nature.

After careful consideration of the wonderful points made by our community, including those which called us prudes or backwards, we decided to come up with our four-rating tiers which not only separated nudity pornography but also still helped cover our behinds from potential issues arising from having nudity placed at a lower age rating.

Since then, I'd personally like to think that we at Weasyl have consistently listened to our users feedback about the site in not only how we craft our documentation but also how we add new features. Much of what Weasyl is today is thanks due in large part to the active participation of the Weasyl Community engaging us and each other about what could make this site a better place for all artists.

This is the same mindset we went in with when we initially received negative feedback regarding the recent changes to the CG and RG. People have wondered out loud, especially given that our staff is represented by individuals of multiple genders, how we could have made such a mistake in our wording. If I were to wager a guess I would say that it's a case of looking at something for so long that certain flaws tend to go unnoticed. And regrettably we pushed the document with this oversight.

We have a very passionate community here at Weasyl, something that we're very proud and excited to have. Unfortunately sometimes that passion tends to turn not towards the arts but towards vigorously attacking or defending certain points which at times leads to name-calling, snark, and general unpleasantness. The phrases "SJW" and "Cissexist" have been thrown around a lot as a result of our oversight and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit disappointed. At this point I'd like to think our users realize that we as staff are always open to discussion about anything regarding the site, and though we may tend to explain our thought process behind why we wrote something a certain way, that doesn't mean we don't leave ourselves open for improvement.

As we deliberated for a second time over the offending language brought up to us, it was suggested by others that we don't change a thing since our phrasing got our points across regarding what was allowed and wasn't allowed on the site. This was something we did also consider at the time as a possibility. However, we were also confident we could find alternative phrasing that not only would get our points across but also put the minds of our community at ease by using non-offensive language.

And so, while not creating sweeping changes to the policies of Weasyl we were able to change the document's phrasing and still manage to get our points across. However, certain users still appear to be unhappy, mainly, as they see it, because we caved into bullying or pressure from a radical element and that now all it takes is for someone to start calling us names or implying that we the staff are bigots in order to change our policies.

This couldn't be further from the truth of the matter, and it saddens me that that's honestly what some people take out of this. Regardless of whether or not someone is attacking us, at the end of the day there's usually an underlying reason for it. Sure, we always appreciate it when people want to come and sit at the table of civil discourse with us in order to not only identify an issue but also offer suggestions for change, but just because someone is overcome with emotion over an issue doesn't mean that their voice shouldn't be heard.

And honestly this issue does carry a large emotional weight for a good deal of people. Flame wars have spawned all over the internet with people arguing, insulting, and attempting to shut out others opinions by labeling them as "SJWs" or "Cissexist" or any variation thereof to disqualify another's opinion. This is an issue that has existed before us and unfortunately may continue to permeate long after Weasyl ceases to be relevant for our users.

However, what I'd like for us all to do, right now, is realize one thing: as long as we're all here, above all else, we are the Weasyl Community. We come from different backgrounds, are of different races, genders, creeds, and what have you, but at the end of the day, we're all Weasyl users, brought together by our common passion for the arts. And at the end of the day, that's what this is about, the arts. I honestly do believe that we have the opportunity to create something special here at Weasyl. The chance to build a community which thrives upon the creative effort of our users and the appreciation thereof in a friendly, inclusive manner that looks beyond judging someone for just their side of a particular issue but by the effort they put in to making this a better place for all users. The chance where our users feel comfortable enough to speak freely with our staff to ask questions, field concerns, or bring technical issues to our attention without fear of being judged or insulted. The chance to have users be able to interact with each other to help expose themselves and others to new styles and genres as well as experiences and techniques to not only appreciate but to help apply to their own efforts.

This is the site we wish to create. But there's only so much we as staff can do by ourselves. We need you, the members of the Weasyl Community, to help us as we move forward to create a site that we all can enjoy and benefit from. And it starts with a little bit of patience, some understanding, and a willingness to engage both your fellow members and staff in a constructive way to help make this a better place for all.