The Community's Feedback So Far:
I'm happy to be able to say that my message has carried over to a major discussion forum of the community, and that it is being talked about publicly. If you're interested in reading the exchange or taking part in the discussion, see this thread over on Chip'N'DaleOnline.com!
As far as the e-mail response I've received, I'll be posting the relevant portions (and possibly my responses) of the comments I've received, both supporting and opposing, on this page.
Rockman from the Acorn Cafe writes:
Hello.
I have read your message carefully. In spite of the source of the problem (f.ex. certain posts mentioned in your message which were silently deleted by the AC administering staff) is unknown to me, the general idea is clear. It is an appeal to democracy and a pure advocacy for homosexuality to be exposed in RR fan works and publicly shown at Cafe then. There are much of arguing, examples and parallels in your message, and if one to share the oppinion expressed as an atheist or as a person without any significant religious views at all, he should agree with it. In fact, all of us are permanently tormented with our sexuality. We cannot break through sexually exciting thoughts at times. So why not to expose others to the same inner torture, showing them pictures and texts with our own ill thoughts depicted in? It is just fun, nothing else! And nothing matter if there would be a hetero- or a homoerotic, or any other erotic scene. But. As an orthodoxy Cristian, I do not share your oppinion. It is a sin indeed to put others into erotical fantasizing via artwork or literature. But let me try to support my oppinion without any religious arguing.
1) This forum is dedicated to Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers. And which homosexual topics at all could be applied to them? Such a creativity will not only offend much of audience, but it will offend the Rangers as such. Any erotical portrayal of them will offend them. And, even if as personages, they have right for private life, as any person, not for drawing, writing, showing and discussing by others. I can imagine Chip and Dale meet their chipmunk girls some happy days of them, boys fall in love to girls and vice versa, then the pairs got married, and then they've had children. So happy destiny. But I will NOT draw (or, however show out such a drawing) any close intimate relations of chipmunk guy and a chipmunk girl. And, furthermore, I cannot imagine, for instance, Chip and Dale in a homo- relations. It is weird at least.
2) Any stimulation of sexuality will increase watcher's (reader's) inner sexual intensity, which could result in losing concentration at job, for example. And maybe at a very responsible moment. Not much of probability, but not out of it at all. Or it can result in undesirable sexual activity. Depends on watcher's (reader's) personality. But the first responsibility is on the author of a certain -=exciting=- creation. Do you want to take such a responsiobility?
3) They are Rescue Rangers. Not sexually-anxious idlers at any side. Any artist or a story writer should take it into consideration. They use to give us an example of high morality, intimate (no sexual context) strong friendship, well-coordinated teamwork for helping others and for fixing the wrongs, and even of readiness to self-sacrifice for the safety of others. What about sexually-oriented content at all here?? Undoubtedly, there are might be romantic subjects, but let's keep our rebelling sexuality out of our creative pieces. For sure, it is for the good of others.
4) Children could see everything posted on the Cafe. Don't wonder if they will ask one day: "Why those cuties are called Rescue Rangers? Whom they are save?". What would you answer? Something like "Go get Disney's DVD, whatch some series, and you wil know" I guess. Less want to draw a brave deed of RR. Pictures, where RRs are saving somebody are extremely rare. But too much draw them hugging, kissing, etc. And what about to add some homosexual relations? Why not? Let children look at their favorite characters in such relations! Is it a good oppinion? I disagree.
But I agree with one thing in your appeal. If some material is deleted, the moderator performed the deletion must indicate the reasons. Otherwise it is a lack of respect to the author, as well as to the audience, me thinks.
I also willingly agree that it is very important to keep friendly atmosphere in community. It is a good idea by itself, to find out how you can help it. But you should also consider - is it really the right usage of AC forums - to rouse people's sexuality and to unleash their inner monsters? There are plenty of sites over the internet with similar content. As for me, I do NOT want see the Cafe turning into a place with pictures of Chip and Dale, or Gadget and Foxy kissing and ... other things.
Please consider everything said above. And please be honest with yourself.
regards,
Rockman, Acorn Cafe
My response:
This seems, to me, to represent very typical misconceptions on the part of those who implimented anti-homosexuality rules and those who advocate keeping them around.
The fear among certain individuals that smut will just suddenly become rampant for no particular reason, and the apparent fear of expressed sexuality in general, strikes me as unfounded. You say that people are "permanently tormented with our sexuality" and suggest that sexual thoughts will take over a person's mind, becoming some kind of pollutant and turning them into a demon. All I can do is speak from experience and say that, typically, it doesn't. I have never experienced it to, at least. Further, most people I know are not tormented or controlled by it at all. Most healthy people have come into a good balance giving them control over their sexuality and the ability to not be distracted by it at inappropriate times. Such a lack of self-control is not typical of the normally adjusted person. One person, or a few people, unable to control their own thoughts is also not a valid basis for censoring, restricting, or punishing everyone rather than those with the problem learning to come to terms with their own minds and control themselves instead. It is not the responsibility of the whole world to change and other people to give up their rights to suit your needs or demands.
Besides all that, the fact is, this issue is not, as you suggest, about fighting for some right to post erotica or porn. I'm all for the first sentence of rule #3, which reasonably controls such things.
This issue is really about two things: Firstly, it's about free expression and the ability to depict characters. There is nothing inherently erotic or pornographic in simply acknowledging that a character - an original character, for example - may happen to be homosexual. There are valid reasons for an author to be interested in using this. Gay individuals exist, they're a part of the world's population and always have been. Sexuality is real and something most or all people experience and acknowledging it in a realistic way because it's relevant to a plot is not somehow dirty or dangerous. It doesn't somehow become the only focus of a work or detract from the other attributes a character may have just by being mentioned. You're making a mountain out of a molehill to suggest that, once introduced, it somehow grows like an infection and becomes a story's primary theme or most important element and shoves all other literary value aside.
Secondly, this is an issue of respect and fairness and the damage that the moderation staff's lack of those things is causing to the community. The fact is, we've lost community members over it, and vastly more damage has been done by this ban than would have possibly been caused by not having implimented it, particularly in light of the ways that the moderation staff uses Orwellian methods to enforce it.