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If you are cis ("not transgender") I need to explain this to you. Bluesky today posted this vague thread, announcing-without-spelling-out that they're allowing a writer, net troll and anti-trans activist named Jesse Singal to stay on the platform, despite every trans user saying it makes us unsafe.

This is the heart of the thread: They're looking at the one specific rules violation Singal is being reported for *currently*. And they're saying, this doesn't count as a rules violation, because he was careful enough to stay within the strict lines of the rule as written.

This misunderstands the issue, and is a fundamental error in moderation philosophy. The problem isn't any specific rule violation—Singal is skilled in "I'm-not-touching-you" harassment and will follow rules if you write them. The problem is the overall effect on the site Singal's presence will have.

No, it doesn’t. Dude is violating the spirit of the rules. Not the rules as written. There is no “rules as written” he won’t follow. He’ll follow whatever rules you have. But it won’t keep him from violating the spirit of the rules. He should be banned. Period.

Thank you. I was confused for a moment. I thought we were aligned, but wanted to clarify in case I somehow wasn’t clear in my point. And yes, Bluesky’s stance is definitely wrong here.

Yeah, I think (I hope) it's clear in the context of the thread why I quoted you, but when I got your reply I realized what that post by itself probably looked like in your notifications feed and was like "Oh no"