I got invited to answer this post. I wrote this very quickly in that sort of heated frustration you get into. If you find typos or feel like links should be added, comment or edit (and thank you).
- Do people feel they are, or will be, safer and/or more welcome, for example?
Let me change this question: "Do people feel they are safe [as it stands]?" Nope. Not at all. There's been someone who posted that they were targeted by neo-Nazis, which is nice and terrifying. I've seen transphobic comments all over the place. A question, not deleted until four hours plus after it was posted, on meta said (basically a direct quote), "the LGBTQ+ community is the source of the problem." LGBTQ+ moderators and users are leaving and resigning (legitimately! who wants to stay in a not-safe space? I have my reasons, but often I've been questioning why they are sufficient) leaving less LGBTQ+ people to help fight for what is necessary.
The worst part? People are focusing on Monica [note: Monica's pain is major and needs to be resolved; please read this with the fact in mind that I support Monica's quest for reinstatement wholeheartedly]. Aza's resignation wasn't noticed until Monica's thing blew up. A moderator who said some absolutely outrageous stuff a couple months (might be more) ago [can't share, TL, etc, etc; suffice it to say it was far more egregious and offensive than anything Monica said] had, as far as I can tell, zero consequences in spite of multiple complaints. I'm not the only one saying things aren't safe. People have been saying there's problems over and over for years. Has SE been paying attention? Nope. Not until now, and they're not doing a great job of it right now. [Note: CMs are wonderful. Thank them for the work they do.]
When the news about Monica broke, the vitriol was tremendous. Half the meta mods had resigned/were inactive. Those that were left were overwhelmed. People like me, including me, were flagging, were responding, were trying to stem the tide. No help. Didn't work very well. I'd thought I was pretty welcome here. I can basically see now that for a reasonable percentage of the SE population, I am not.
This is not the fault of the CoC. This is the fault of a much deeper rot. In that, I appreciate the CoC for finally beginning to deal with these issues. But the way SE just abandoned the situation when it started to burn hurt. The way SE hasn't listened to the complaints we've made in the past or now hurts. Safe? Welcome? Right now, nope. In the future? Maybe, but it's going to take work.
- Do the changes made seem adequate from trans users' point of view, at least as a first step?
I like the new CoC. I think it's good and appropriate. Definitely a good first step (though there's many more to be taken).
- It isn't clear what the status of the request that sensitivity training be made available is. Is that fact a source of consternation? Etc.
I feel like this is a good point to point out that on the meta post where the mod letters (including the lavender letter) were posted, Sara Chipps wrote "thanks for this, we will be writing a response very soon" - that was October 8th. Needless to say, there has been no response.
I saw a lot of moderators fall somewhere between outright hurtful to genuinely confused. That's why someone thoughtfully suggested required sensitivity training for mods, and I think it's really a fantastic idea. Mods have actually requested it before, but of course nobody even paid attention to it until there was a fire (oh, wait, SE still hasn't paid very much attention to it).
It seems like a simple, immediately actionable thing that would improve things. The consternation here largely rises from the fact that there's been no conversation about it or acknowledgement of it.
Why do I stay? It's because I love modding. I love writing and answering questions. I've learned so much here, and (hopefully) I've taught a few people something here. I love the community I mod, Quantum Computing, and a couple of others, like Physics and Literature. I love a lot of the people. I have felt like my age did not affect the seriousness with which people took my words. Except now, apparently, something else is.
This issue is not resolved.
It will not be resolved until the LGBTQ+ community feels welcome, because the broader community is welcoming.
It will not be resolved until people, especially SE, listens.
What do you think are the odds of that happening?
