Comment Policy

I welcome comments on my blog that further the conversation in productive ways. Productive conversation includes, but is not limited to: supportive statements, constructive criticism, alternate point of views or experiences, new/updated/corrected facts and information, etc.

I do not welcome comments that undermine the narrative of my own experience or suggest, no matter how subtly, that I or anyone else isn’t fully human or shouldn’t be treated equally to others.

This blog is heavily moderated; if you object to that, please seek out a different forum.

When you comment, I ask that you honor the following requests:

  1. Refrain from phobic, discriminatory or hateful speech.
  2. Refrain from comments that have the effect of silencing or derailing (see Derailing for Dummies for additional examples).
  3. Refrain from questioning the existence of privilege or systematic oppression. There are many resources available online and offline for learning about these issues.
  4. Provide a name or pseudonym that reflects a consistent online presence (as opposed to so-called “throwaway” or “sockpuppet” identities).

That last one isn’t hard and fast rule. There are good reasons for allowing anonymous comments. However, if you violate rule #1 and/or #2, and do it anonymously, I’m very unlikely to publish your comment.

Also, because this is my blog, I reserve the right to:

  • Moderate first-time commenters or commenters unknown to me.
  • Edit your comment for spelling, grammar, length or clarity.
  • Not publish your comment at all or delete it after it’s been published.
  • Close comments for a particular post, or never allow them in the first place.
  • Modify these rules at any time.

Also, you should consider any comment you submit to my blog to be public, even if they are not immediately or ever published. If you wish to contact me privately, you may do so via the contact form.

Portions of this policy are derived from my friend Tim’s comment policy. Updated 7 July 2013.