Comments at XGW may be immediately deleted, or commenters may be banned, for the following reasons:

  • Libel
  • Slander
  • Copyright violations
  • Link spam
  • Profanity
  • Threats
  • Namecalling
  • Solicitation

Commenters may rapidly earn demerits toward a ban for the following reasons:

  • Ad hominem attacks
  • Strawman argumentation
  • Persistent disruptive off-topic comments — for example, comments that seek to turn a page about antigay violence into unrelated complaints about pedophilia or promiscuity.
  • Defamation against entire categories of people.
  • Extensive repetition of third-party propaganda. Your writing must be your own, though you may criticize selected short portions of speech by someone else.
  • Internet trolling

Commenters are expected to honor standard Netiquette Guidelines.

What makes a good comment better:

  • Provide direct quotes with links or bibliographic references to the source.
  • Use independent, reputable sources.
  • Refrain from labels and broad assumptions.
  • Be charitable in tone toward fellow commenters.
  • Do not assume you understand an author or commenter’s viewpoint or motive; if in doubt, seek clarification.
  • Refrain from the relativist cliche that all viewpoints are worthy of public airing and respect. No: Only viewpoints supported by facts derived from reputable sources may earn such a privilege.

Willful Grace recently summarized behaviors she has observed to cause consternation among those of us who operate XGW. Grace’s observations offer some practical examples of how these guidelines might be acted out.

The goal of the guidelines is to keep comments somewhat civil and focused on material facts, and to limit the spread of blind accusations and bigotries, whether they are antigay, anti-exgay, or opposed to various ethnic or religious groups.

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