Like to many people, the word freespeech might sound good, untill you run into hatespeech. While there isn't a widespread way to define this type of speech, I found a few terms that can help narrow things down. (speech that does not include hatespeech.)

1. freespeech. Strictly protects you from 'government' censorship, however there may be limits. If not legally, then perhaps, you'l lose a few friends socially. Freespeech, is not always acceptable speech.

2. responsible speech. Ok, so now we are at a term that helps to simplify things more toward the direction things are actually heading around the world lately. It's saying, make sure you are posting responsibly, and that your posts are not degrading nor attacking others. So, no to discriminatory and harmful language. Does it directly cover hatespeech? Not specifically, it's more so addressing the actual end result of the harm from user posts. Be responsible.

3. Inclusive speech. Again, not directly addressing hatespeech, but rather indirectly. By asking for inclusive speech, it would vaguely, while not as specifically, just ask of you to keep your speech as inclusive. When referring to someones pronouns/gender, you'l want to be inclusive and not misgender, or miss pronounce a person in anyway.

Honestly, if you were to combine responsible speech and and responsible speech into a single term, combining their meaning you would actually have an actual singular term describing all this, (speech that does not include hatespeech.)

and what is expected socially. While both terms, do have some vagueness to them, combining them would still keep them vague. Having one term to describe expected social behavior would simplify any confusion from trolls or actual confused people.

While I and other might not think these things are confusing, too alot of people in the last decade+ these terms are new to them.

I'm not advocating for any changes, but I'm looking for some words that describe speech without the inclusion of hatespeech.

Hello! I'm currently working on a research paper for my English composition course, and we were given free reign on the topic. I decided to do my topic on the history of queerness in gaming, and I'm not only talking about queer characters, but also the gaming community too. So far, my major sources focus on things like:

• Demographics of games with queer characters (which identities, created in what country, what year was the game made, etc.)
• I want to try to find more stuff about trans, enby, and ace characters as I feel their representation is a little underepresented
• Opinions of queer and non-queer gamers on queer representation in games
• How fan interpretations, fanon, and external content (like social media posts) is important to gaming too
• What games do right and wrong with representation, especially when it comes to "non-gendered" character creators
• How localizations/translations are sometimes used to censor queerness. Also about how queerness can be seen differently around the world.
• Some info on Gamergate, but that's not a major focus of the paper
• A pinch of info about feminist gaming, but not necessarily lesbian-women-only gaming

I want to make sure I'm hitting what people find important to explain and teach to others, as the goal of this paper is to be read by anyone who's curious to learn. So if there's any topic you deem extremely important that shouldn't be missed, please tell me! Also, I'm a little more knowledgeable about JRPGs compared to popular western games, so character recommendations to bring up are appreciated greatly.

I plan to promote a survey about this stuff later on, I just need to get my questions together :). I will crosspost this to other gaming or queer communities, so you might see me there too!

This post is also on Reddit, although due to it being a new account I'm going to struggle to gain traction there with the low karma bans :(

In August, Texas banned drivers in the state from changing the gender markers on their driver’s licenses to match their gender identities. New reporting reveals that employees at the Department of Public Safety (DPS) continue to document every change request by trans drivers for collection in a state database.

At least 42 such attempts — including instances where people asked for guidance about state policies during calls, in-person appointments, and by email — have been reported in the last five months, according to documents shared with The Texas Newsroom.

DPS staff scanned and saved trans drivers’ information, the records show, and sent the data to a designated internal email account.

Officials at DPS and the Texas Attorney General’s office refused to say why the state is gathering the information, with whom it is sharing it, and whether the data collection is ongoing.

The documents also shed light on how those requests are handled. Some employees allowed the drivers to change the name listed on their licenses, but rejected their requests to update their gender. Others declined both requests.

Some new residents presented out-of-state or federal documents that matched their gender identity but were still denied a matching Texas license or ID.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has called court orders directing Texas officials at DPS and other agencies to change gender markers “illegal.”

Screenshots of DPS’ trans data collection email address circulated online soon after the state banned gender marker changes, and the account was overwhelmed with spam from people protesting it.

Out of 700 pages of emails reviewed in September, only one was about an actual request to change a gender marker. Another 80 came from pranksters and critics.

Someone signed up the email address for newsletters from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and a bargain hunter website called Krazy Coupon Lady. The address also received emails from QueerMeNow, an explicit gay adult entertainment blog, and Lovehoney, a British company that sells adult toys and lingerie, KERA News reported.

One email read, “oh no someone is spamming your gestapo list wow,” while others called the policy “evil,” “weird,” and fascistic. Some accused DPS employees of acting like a “good little Nαzi” and “a disgrace in the eyes of God.”

The new internal agency documents reveal employees continued to collect data and forward it internally for collection after the spamming uprise.

Last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton reiterated that it’s unlawful for trans Texans to change the gender listed on their state IDs, and added that any documents that have been altered are required to be changed back. There is no law prescribing the latter.

Earlier this year, a bill was introduced in the Texas Legislature to imprison anyone whose gender on state documents does not match the one assigned to them at birth.

Several corporate sponsors have pulled out of San Francisco’s 2025 Pride Celebration over what the parade’s executive director suspects is due to the country’s changing political climate under the Trump administration. 

San Francisco Pride’s street fair is scheduled for June 28-29, with the famed Pride Parade scheduled for 10 a.m. on the second day. Founded in 1970 as the Gay Freedom Day Parade, the event has grown to become one of the largest and most renowned LGBTQ+ celebrations in the world, attracting up to 1 million visitors each year.