Hello
@Mr Zoat, I hope you are having a good day, I was able to get this done quite quickly, fortuitously.
This may perhaps be slightly long, and I apologize for that, but I wanted to be both clear and thorough.
The first thing I want to note might seem minor, but is actually pretty good to know. You use "transsexual" a good deal in your appeal (and once in the relevant section of your story), and it's not really the right word to use here. While "transsexual"
is a term that was used to refer to trans people in the past, time has marched on and at this point it is out of date, and a good deal of the trans community finds the term extremely offensive. Things like trans person, trans man, trans woman, and so on are typically much preferred. It's just a matter somewhat relevant to the appeal that I thought should probably be cleared up.
Now, in terms of the infraction. There are a few elements worth looking at- roughly two (arguably 3), which can be separated into the content of your story, and the post you made discussing it after the fact. We'll discuss the story element first.
Now, in the section of the story being discussed here, we're talking about a character who was born male, was turned female against their will, and wish to be turned back to being male as you note in the appeal, and so are clearly uncomfortable with being female. So it's safe to assume they consider themselves to be a man. Now I would like to note a part of the story where you refer to them with female pronouns.
Mr Hamill shrugs, and if I needed any confirmation that she wasn't wearing a bra with that costume I now have it. "I was just playing with the dial. I wasn't even really paying it any attention."
"Do you have a picture of what you looked like before your transformation?"
"What, you think I was walking around dressed like this when I was a dude? Alla my stuff vanished when I transformed." She looks down at herself and grimaces. "Do you-?" She looks at Diana. "Do you have any, like, clothes I could borrow? I don't.. really…" She makes a vague cupping gesture.
Now, since "Mr. Hamill" identifies as a man, using feminine pronouns to describe them is certainly not gendering them appropriately, which is the issue here. For reference, I'll quote the important portion of Rule 2's text relating to that, explicitly and implicitly.
You are mindful not because of specific individuals, but because of all those who might be affected by what you say.
We expect, for example, that you will gender everyone appropriately...
a community that is willing to devalue outsiders is not the welcoming one we are trying to build.
The thing is, that by then using female pronouns to refer to them, you indicate that what is important here is not the gender they identify as, but what physical body they currently have, something you also indicate in your appeal.
But trans people, whose gender identity not meshing with their physical sex often making them feel "trapped in the wrong body", can feel alienated or hurt by this. After all, this, to them, could seem to indicate that you believe they are wrong about their own identity and who they are. To them it's their gender identity, what they perceive themselves to be and what they feel they should live as, that is important and defines them. And sentiments against that would go against the desire of SV to make users of all kinds, including trans people, feel welcome.
Now, as the text notes, there is leeway given in terms of fiction in many cases. The character in this case being an SI might muddy things a little, but if the story clearly established in some sense that they were wrong to do this for instance, or that they were being set up to change their mind, that might be a different story, as would a non-story post indicating that the SI is wrong to gender them this way. However, none of these things come into play here.
The other part of the infraction related to your text post defending the SI's gendering of the character, so we should turn to that. We'll start with the aspect that is slightly more complicated.
She is plus breasts vagina minus penis testicles facial hair. She even has one of those ridiculous costumes certain comic illustrators like to draw on female characters but not on male ones.
She is a woman.
Here, you seem to imply that being a woman requires having full breasts, a vagina, and not having a penis. Of course, that is absolutely untrue for a good deal of trans women, who have not undergone those surgeries, sometimes because they simply can't for various reasons. Trans women have always been women, regardless of any surgeries they have or not have had, and implying otherwise devalues that second group.
You also say that it would be perfectly fine for your character to identify as an "attack helicopter". Now, the attack helicopter meme was created as a joke targeted at nonbinary and trans people's identities by comparing how they identify to something ridiculous that people would dimiss out of hand, and the joke still is that. Thus making the joke, even if you don't know that, does (if unintentionally) devalue the identity of those people.
I do genuinely believe that these are just things that you simply didn't consider or realize while posting and writing. And that's something that happens to all of us from time to time. However, writing these posts in that mindset has the same
effect as posting with intent of devaluing other groups, and so still violates Rule 2.
[information=Ruling]As such, the infraction under Rule 2 is upheld in full.[/information]
Thank you for your time. If you disagree with this ruling, you are free to make another post making an appeal to our Community Council within the next 72 hours. If you do this, make sure to explain why my ruling is mistaken. It is also worth noting that if they desire, Staff has the right to also request for a Tribunal. And if you have any questions at all about my ruling, please feel free to ask.
Have a good day.
Cheers.
