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[Ms. Toad]

298. I was very explicit about what troubled me

Feel free to go back and read the threads I've linked to, and as a quick hint - because it captures it so well, even though I didn't write it, read the resignation post of one of the female hosts I've linked to below. And I would also suggest that you are not aware that I have been an active participant, off and on, since I joined DU in 2004. (Just a few examples - from 2005, 2008, 2009, 2012)

As far as female hosts, it was dsc who referenced the "lack of female hosts," not me. My use of the word male in the previous post was to exclude the female hosts whose contributions in the thread (and from my understanding behind the scenes as well) were productive - but who felt unable to take any formal action. At least one of the female hosts resigned as host because of how it was handled.

The point of this sub-thread was solely to counter the observation that the beefcake thread was ok because it was in LGBT space. Being in LGBT space does not make it inherently acceptable. Some of us who have been active participants in that space are no longer, both because of the presence of things like the beefcake threads - and because of the reaction to the suggestion that we at least talk about whether we want such threads in our space.

Both the issue, and the reaction to raising it, mirror what is going on in GD now - which was the point of my original response to dsc.