Erin and I are friends.
That is a huge statement for me. I know thousands of people. For most years in my business I worked with six to eight hundred entities who had anywhere from ten to five thousand transactions with me. . .enough so that my last year in business my sales were forty-eight million dollars.
I had over a dozen suppliers who loved to give my organization national awards. I was on first-name basis with several CEOs of Fortune 500 companies who because of my accomplishments and integrity considered me a "friend." One of them loaned me $3 million based on that friendship.
Only a very few of those highly transactional business friendships rise to the level of my friendship with Erin.
When someone likes your writing it means a lot. Erin sought me out three decades ago to place my stories on BC. That relationship has grown to BC being the only site where I publish my work. Over the years she has been extremely supportive. I've told Erin many times that my goal is to be half as good at writing as she is.
During my career, I tried to establish a mega-website to out-Google Google. I lost a huge amount of money and learned a lesson about what happens to most Davids when Goliath comes a-squatting! During that experience, I learned how much effort and money it takes to keep a website like BC open. What Erin and company do here every day is a miracle!
Yet, I often knowingly break her rules about blog content.
Simply put, it is obvious to me that BC is in an existential battle.
The people on the Supreme Court who voted to overturn Wade did so based on a disregard for privacy. They showed their hand that their next target is Trans America. Conservative states have enacted anti-trans legislation that borders on hate. The RNC has declared open season on teachers who push "far-left gender theories."
If you carry this trend to its logical conclusion, BC will be labeled a porn site and eventually banned for its toxic content. On a personal side I have no interest in being the next Matthew Shepard.
I fully understand why Erin wants to keep her site (our site) a place dedicated to its mission statement. I'm sure many people who read my blogs will never buy another Angela Reach book! I know there is at least one author whose views expressed here, who has caused me to vow to never buy another book she writes.
I remember the open hostility on FM not too many years ago due to unfettered discussion. Political discussions are toxic.
I know that my politics probably cost my business millions in sales.
Yet, since I believe we are in an existential struggle I cannot stop blogging.
Sorry Erin.
Jill
Comments
A Major Support.
Many times when I was at my lowest, my stories kept me distracted. If it were not for Erin's tolerance of my antics, who knows what would have happened to me?
Thank you Erin
Gwen
What do you want us to do?
I understand your concern. I've been thinking I should prepare for the possibility that I should have to flee the USA on short notice, though I'm having trouble figuring out just how.
Anyway, your post kind of sounds like you are advising us to change something about what we write on the site or something, but I can't figure out exactly what. Am I misunderstanding you? If not, does anyone have any suggestions (besides sending money)?
P.S.: I'm not sure how this relates to whether you (Angela Rasch) are a jerk or not. So far, I haven't seen any evidence that you are, but I don't know all that much about you, so who knows? ☺
I doubt us here at BC
alone can change the future. Not enough of us or with the backing and contacts to fight the battle. Plan ahead and keep an eye out for what is happening is our only recourse. Be prepared.
So we have to fall back on the original purpose of the site, to write, discuss and read TG Fiction.
Maybe a little happiness to make the day livable with. Hugs
Fran Cesca
- Formerly Turnabout Girl
You are not a Jerk... far from it.
If Erin is truly worried about the site being labelled porn in the new 'Christian Fascist Nation' then there should be a plan to move the physical location of the side to somewhere outside the USA. PErsonally, I think that some contingency planning should begin right now.
I'll stop ranting right now.
Samantha
Done happened
Google, Amazon and hundreds of ISPs around the country already label us as porn. This is why the only advertiser we have is Canadian.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Google and Amazon Are Abominations
Maybe moving the servers to Canada is a reasonable step. What would this involve?
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Changing our internet address for one thing
Bigclosetr.us can only be a US site.
But Canada (and most of Europe) already has rules in place that would make many of the stories on BC illegal.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Premtively protective stories.
All my documentation lists me as female, except for the VA. I wonder if Oregon law trumps Federal law? All my stories (I think) are written only have about a paragraph of TG content, so if happenings demand it, that can be removed without hurting the story.
I think there is or was a policy that any characters be post pubescent or 18, can't remember. There are some other sites that are a good deal more pornographic than this one.
Gwen
So?
Site rules go out the window? We turn it into a political forum? Why not religion while we're at it?
The biggest draw of BC aside from the stories is the FRIENDLINESS...its a major feature, not a bug.
Breaking the rules intentionally and repeatedly is disrespectful to the very reason the site is special.
Aside from TG specific content in the news, which is allowed, I think the site is fine and at it's best when the rules are followed and everyone keeps it friendly, rule #1
I want to join the Erin Lovefest too!
But also to agree with you Frank, that BC offers friendliness, which I value.
I am presently doing battle with vicious reviewers (or is it just one with many handles?) over on FM.
It does not hurt me - it is just tiresome. Over here it is different ... just nice (love that word).
Maryanne
So . . . Frank
Three decades ago sued about a dozen people for libel, slander, and a dozen other torts. One of them was an elected official who I sued for using his office to defraud me of several million dollars.
A judge threw out my case because he was a federal judge and he decided it should be handled in state court. But that wasn't good enough for him. He said, "Your case is a big 'So what?'. If everything you contend is correct . . . so what?"
I eventually got a very large settlement on the state case.
This site has had fiscal problems that threaten its existence. I've done what I could to address those problems from many different angles.
I've stated that the SCOTUS position is an existential threat to this site. Wouldn't it be inconsistent (hypocritical) for me to NOT do what I can to help the site through this threat?
Really . . . the primary rule for this site is self-preservation. Perhaps you're unaware how many other sites like BC are no longer around.
I don't know what to do. My hope is others on this site have better answers than I do.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
I ... Know.
But. Sanctions. And I Know that I am not the only Russian who reads BCTS or tries to support this site.
Who ever thought that sanctions are against Russia? Only a dozen of the Russians who needed to buy 2-3 Lambos or Feraris per month had any trouble. How many of those visited Russia in the last 10 years? Zero. Nil. No one. So far only "middle class" citizens of the US of A and of the EU are victims of the "sanctions against Russia"...
You have no money to buy fuel for your Civic? Spend 50K to buy Tesla! Now you will have a much more simple choice: charge your car, or heat up your dinner.
It's a story site
It is here for authors and readers, it has always been it's purpose as long as I've been coming here, to quote rule #1 "stories are why this place exists" I've been here over 16 years according to my account and the rules have been consistent.
I don't presume to come on here and break Erin's rules. I think it is arrogant to assume special privileges for yourself. If Erin has granted you special rights, then I'm not going to argue with her.
I'm with you on the politics and what is happening in the country. The only way out of this on a large scale is for people to vote in every election, not just every four years. Maybe if they elect enough Dems they can expand the court.
I don't think BC is the forum to debate it, unless there is a change in policy.
As for sites that have gone away, I lament the BBS sites that went away....Feminet, Tri-Ess. Then usenet and the old alt.sex.stories.tg *sigh*
I would hate to support Erin...
... As it will mean a jail sentence for her...
I am Russian. Any money from me to Erin could mean a jail sentence for Erin. I was a good student when I was taught about differences between US sanctions and boycott of Israel... Sorry. Hope this site is good about privacy, as I am not supposed to know about those trainings...
political discourse
As things stand in this country political dialogue seems to break down into name calling and/or dispute over the facts as some "news" services are telling a different story than others (I spoke today to a very nice lady who was bewailing the unavailability of ivermectin for covid treatment. A real discussion between us would be impossible. What I know to be true she knows to be false.) It calls for constant monitoring from a moderator who will inevitably offend someone and maybe a couple of fact checkers to prevent such a breakdown. You couldn't pay me enough to take that moderator's job and I would bet that Erin feels about the same way.
... that Erin feels about the same way.
Pretty much. I don't want political discussions on site because I don't want to referee them. I have relaxed the rules temporarily because at the moment, people are really upset and this really does have something to do with the TG community which is being politically singled out and scapegoated because we are an easy target.
We're different and people are ignorant of who we are, what we want, and what our situations are. So, our very existence can and is being used to inflame support for politicians who therefore do not have to deal with harder political problems.
Sigh.
Keep it sane, and try to remember the Three Rules.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
It looks like TG community is under attack by everybody
Loads of posts on 9gag are "trending" that directly attack TG people. There even was a post from LGB part of LGBT where an author gone to the couple of pages of text to say that "T" has nothing to do with "LGB" and should be excluded...
We May Not Have A Choice
If all the potentially damaging decisions forecast for the US Supreme Court come to pass then we will be illegal as individuals in many states and BC may well not operate, or be allowed to operate, in those states. Authoritarians always manage to suppress information that they do not like and Big Business will always kowtow to those who butter their bread.
Let's face it, we are a very small minority but we should not go quietly. I will try my best to abide by Erin's rules but we may occasionally have to bend them just a little. Often the best weapon against dictators and wannabees is laughter. We need our Monty Pythons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUspLVStPbk