Community Rules and Guidelines - Australian Gaymers Network

Our space is for all geeks and gamers, regardless of what type of games they play, their sexuality or gender identity.

Every member of the group needs to treat each other with respect. There are some kinds of conduct which can put that inclusiveness at risk. These rules are designed to create an inclusive space for our community.

The team

Our moderator and admin team will enforce our rules and policies.

Offenders of these rules may receive time-outs, temporary, or permanent bans from all groups and functions (Facebook, Discord, In-person events).

Getting in touch with us

Please reach out at any time if there’s something you’d like to chat about, or to report violations of rules to the team.

If you’d like to get in touch you can:

Use the in-platform tools
There are tools available within each platform (Report Post for Facebook, /modping for Discord) and in-person admin at events.
Use the feedback form
For the Australian Gaymers Network (Discord), please use this form.

Rules

By joining or participating in our groups, or joining our events, you agree to abide by the items outlined here.

This is an LGBTIQA+ community for all gamers under the LGBTIQA+ umbrella. Sexism, racism, biphobia and transphobia will not be tolerated. Some topics and recent events can be divisive, intense, triggering, and can easily become inflammatory and unknowingly hurtful to others. If a topic is significantly off-topic you may be asked to stop or reconsider whether a gaming space is where the discussion should take place.
Do not personally attack or insult other members of the group.
If someone attacks you, do not respond in kind — report it to the team. Any debates should be civil and respectful. This is also not a place for drama-baiting posts, including fanboyism, and console wars.
Do not harass or knowingly cause discomfort to other members.
If someone tells you that you’re bothering them, stop. Do not contact them publicly or privately (for example, via a direct/private message or at events). Respect people’s wishes regarding direct messages (including roles such as dms-open), but be aware of consent during conversations.
Leave your drama at the door.
This space is a respectful hangout. Do not bring or incite drama here. Moderators are not here to manage interactions outside of our official space and events. Unofficial meetups are attended at your own discretion and are outside of our scope of moderation (with exception to posts breaching the community guidelines).
Promo/advertising/sales posts.
If you would like to promote something that you think is relevant to the group or its members, then please first message one of the admin team and we will discuss this with you. This includes promos for live streams, YouTube channels, Facebook groups, Discord servers, etc. An example that would likely be allowed with prior approval: an individual selling a gaming console.
We are not a hook-up or dating community.
While we understand that sometimes things develop naturally between members, this is not the intended purpose of the group. Date/hook-up seeking posts, NSFW, or suggestive content is not allowed.
Clearly mark any spoilers.
Make sure content will not appear on people’s screens until they intentionally click or interact with your post.
Group discussions, voice chats, video chats, interactions.
You must continue to abide by our rules no matter the forum, medium, or platform. This includes representing our community in similar groups. In addition, you must abide by any rules, terms or policies outlined by the respective host/platform/venue (i.e. Facebook, Discord, etc).
You are over 18 and understand that the group, its events, and participation across its various platforms are only for ages 18 and above. This does not imply that NSFW content is permitted.
Keep the space inclusive and safe for work. NSFW content guidelines.
All content/discussion in our space must be “safe for work” (SFW), this includes camera in voice channels. We want people to be able to happily participate no matter their location (i.e. at work) or preference (i.e. asexual).

Photos, videos, and other media (i.e. memes) that is acceptable include:
– Anything that is SFW, Society acceptable (i.e. walk out of the house wearing, beach, parade, shops).
– Kink Gear (only when marked with spoiler tag, with description of what is in the picture, this should still not be sexually suggestible)

Some examples of things that aren’t acceptable (NSFW) include:
– Sexually suggestible
– Sexual intercourse
– Showing off your underwear
– Exposed crotch
– Exposed buttock
Over-sexualised content.
While general discussion on kinks and fetishes is okay (within the context of gaming), keep posts, event discussions, and voice chat clear of any overly sexual content.
Respect your moderators.
Moderation decisions are final. Our moderators work hard, and often with little thanks. Please understand that it is a stressful and often intricate role – decisions may not always play in your favour. You may respectfully discuss or appeal a decision privately via the feedback form or private message with the moderation team. Inciting public conflict about a past decision will result in additional action.
Respect the spirit of the rules.
While we try to make our rule list as detailed as possible, there are always new topics and conduct in our ever-evolving world that might not explicitly be listed here. We expect you to use a common sense approach and take the spirit of our rules into account when participating with our group.

Policies

Gender/Sexuality Inclusive Language and Behaviour

Do not use language or make jokes that can make other members feel uncomfortable – in particular, gaymers who are female, bisexual/pansexual, or transgender.

It is absolutely vital that we do not inadvertently exclude people in the way we talk amongst ourselves as a community. While such comments are generally not intended to cause offence or upset anyone, this does not mean that they are harmless. Words have the power to make someone feel invisible, invalidated, and alienated. Nobody should ever feel like they don’t belong here, just because they don’t fall under a category that includes the majority of people in the room.

Speaking up when you feel this way can be extremely awkward and difficult. Nobody wants to be the one to start an argument or ruin the mood, especially when they’re scared that everyone else will be against them. We cannot wait until somebody tells us that they feel uncomfortable. The responsibility for making people feel welcome falls upon all of us.

Avoid making assumptions, generalisations, or inappropriate comments about a member’s:

Sexuality, e.g. using “gay” as a blanket term
Gender identity (which, like sexuality, is invisible once you get past the stereotypes)
Genitals/physical sex characteristics, e.g. disparaging those you don’t have, asking what someone else has, or commenting on what you think people have

Don’t use terms like “faggot” and “gay” as insults, or with negative connotations. We have to put up with more than enough of that language the rest of the time, and our space should be the one place in the gaming community where we can escape from it. Don’t assume everyone else in the room will be comfortable with that language, when it may just remind them of the bullying and casual homophobia they’ve endured in the past.

We understand that nobody wants to feel like they have to censor themselves, and we don’t want to censor you. We are, however, asking all members to make just a little bit of effort to ensure that our space remains safe and inclusive for everyone. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, you can bring them to the admin team at any time.

Responsible Consumption of Alcohol

We want to make sure everyone is clear on the group’s guidelines around alcohol. Our in-person meetups may occur at venues where alcohol is served. This includes consumption of alcohol while on Discord.

Please keep the following in mind:

Know how to pace your own drinking.
Alcohol is not the primary focus of our events or groups. If your objective in attending an in-person event is to have a big night out and get very drunk, this is not the place.
You are responsible for your behaviour while drinking.
Being drunk doesn’t mean the rules don’t apply. Anyone making other members feel uncomfortable will be asked to leave (whether drinking or otherwise), and will be banned from the group and attending future meetups.
Be respectful to other people who may not be drinking.
Respect the wishes of those who just want to play games and socialise. People may be in a very different headspace to you and drinking is not part of their intentions for that event.

Inclusive Space

We’re a community that welcomes everybody, regardless of gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, size, race/ethnicity, age, or religion.

The aim of an inclusive space is to ensure that people are never made to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome on any of these grounds, both in our online spaces, and at events.

By participating in our community, you agree that:

We are collectively committed to inclusivity.
We have zero tolerance for bullying, abuse, harassment, or discrimination.
We respect everyone’s identities, including their sexual orientation, gender, name and pronouns. We do not make assumptions about any of these things, and ask if there is a need to do so.
We respect people’s physical and emotional boundaries, and we actively communicate to seek consent from those around us before engaging in physical contact or discussing sensitive subjects.
We refrain from using language that can be considered oppressive (systemically or otherwise), e.g. sexist, racist, homophobic, biphobic, transphobic, ableist, classist, etc., including (but is not limited to) the use of slurs, stereotypes and jokes that target marginalised groups.
We respect that people who experience exclusion or discrimination in the wider community may not wish to participate in discussions about such issues here, and we put each member’s right to an inclusive and supportive space ahead of anyone’s desire to raise questions or debates on those topics.
We respect people’s opinions, beliefs, lived experiences and differing points of view – while also aiming to express our own views in a way that does not conflict with any of the above.

Anyone engaging in harassment of members or guests in or around our events or online spaces will be asked to stop immediately, or risk expulsion from the community.

Harassment includes offensive verbal comments or attitudes related to identity or appearance, deliberate intimidation, antagonism, stalking, doxxing, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of an event, disruption of the peace, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. These things are NOT OK.

If there is something which you feel is offensive or makes you uncomfortable, please let us know so we can take it into consideration. You can contact anyone on the committee via the methods outlined in the rules. All communication will be dealt with in confidence amongst the committee.