As a community, we want to be as inclusive and welcoming as possible. As such, we strongly believe that there should be no tolerance for harassment, discrimination or expressions of bigotry. These things are already covered by more general forum rules, but we see the need to also state specifically that hateful expressions based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or other personal characteristics, whether targeted at individuals or whole groups of people, are not acceptable. Some people believe otherwise, and while we may not have the power to change their thinking, we do have the power to limit their use of these boards.
Furthermore, The AGS Forums are hosted on a UK server, and as such is subject to British equality and diversity legislation, laws on hate speech, libel, and (at present) the Human Rights Act.
With that in mind, posts or threads containing any of the following will be subject to deletion, and users who post such material will be subject to disciplinary action. This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but to provide examples of the sort of thing that is not welcome.
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1. Race
Discriminatory language or expression of views based on race or ethnicity; including, but not limited to, propagation of ethnic stereotypes.
2. Gender and Sexuality
Discriminatory language or views concerning gender and sexual orientation; including, but not limited to, misogyny, homophobia, anti-transgender rhetoric, and the wilful misapplication of pronouns/names.
3. Religion
While debate and critical discussion of religion may occur, any purposely antagonistic attacks on a person's religious beliefs (or lack of same) or blanket aspersions against certain religious groups (or non-believers generally) will be treated as a violation of forum policy.
4. Politics
While discussions of a political nature may occur, expression of extremist views, including, but not limited to, pro-Nazi/Fascist rhetoric, Holocaust denial, and the propagation of conspiracy theories associated with fringe and extremist movements (Pizzagate, GamerGate, etc.), will be considered a violation of forum policy.
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Note that this policy covers not just overt expressions of bigotry, but also indirect ones made by insinuation, use of particular phrases, symbols or memes associated with extremist movements, or presented as jokes.
The moderators hope that the need to enforce these rules will not be a regular occurrence, that our community is a place where hate-speech and bigotry are as abhorrent to you as they are to us. Please help prove us right.
If you do find somebody else's posts overly offensive, then in the first instance please use the "Report to moderator" link on the post to alert the moderators to the situation. If the problem continues, contact one of the staff via a Private Message.
Thank you for reading.