Maybe it is more than an instance. Maybe it is an idea, a world-historical vanguard, light itself. planet-hillary

actual attempt to answer (cringe)

We’ve been around for three years on a lemmy fork before federation. The lack of federation for years as well as the place we splintered off from (/r/chapotraphouse) already having a unique microculture within Reddit has given this instance, in my opinion, a distinct culture compared to general-purpose and even other hobbyist instances.

Regarding specifics, Hexbear is a vehemently queer-friendly/intersectional anti-sectarian socialist instance. Check us out meow-bounce lea-bounce

  • Zuzak [fae/faer, she/her]
    ·
    1 year ago

    The great thing about Hexbear I was thinking about recently is that pretty much all of our bullying is upfront and overt. None of these weird complicated social rules where people can disparage you and you're the asshole if you call it out. Crybullying is immediately recognized and called out, and tbh I think that's a big part of why we get a bad reputation because those types always run off to a third party for sympathy when people stand up to them and call them on it. And you never have to worry about, where do I draw the line on "Is this too political for this group?" I think it makes it a lot easier to navigate for everyone but especially for ND people.

    • DroneRights [it/its]
      ·
      1 year ago

      Very much appreciate it. I'm being open about my gender identity on public social media for the first time and I only got called a wrecker for it a medium bit

      • Zuzak [fae/faer, she/her]
        ·
        1 year ago

        I think the main reason you've been encountering suspicion or hostility is that a lot of people associate your gender with an old transphobic meme ("I identify as an attack helicopter"), and so they suspect you of being a right wing troll. I'll admit I wasn't sure myself because you used some unfamiliar terms like dronegender and swarmgender, and I didn't find anything about them by googling, but once you used more familiar terms like plurality and otherkin, I was more inclined to think you were genuine. Unfortunately, I think you're likely to encounter that kind of suspicion in many trans-friendly spaces, until you explain or demonstrate knowledge of something a troll probably wouldn't know about or understand, such as plurality. We also haven't had a lot of otherkin or systems here before, and when people encounter something like you that's outside of their experience, they try to fit it into something they're more familiar with.

        My advice would be to spend some time hanging out in the general or queer megathreads, which are generally more chill. I think the more people get used to you and see that you're interested in being a part of the community, the more people will see you as acting in good faith. Also, if you ever get too frustrated with Hexbear, it's a good idea to get some space for a while. Usually when that happens with me, it gives me some perspective and reminds me what I like about this space.

        Anyway I'm sorry you got that reception and I hope you don't hold it against us.

        • DroneRights [it/its]
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          That's strange because I'm used to being attacked for being plural and otherkin too. I mean, reactionaries have been making fun of otherkin since 2010 with that helicopter copypasta. And pluralphobia is just rampant all over the place. Barely anybody's heard of narcissistic plurality before, despite how common it is. I thought I'd be opening myself up to more hate when I talked about those things. That's how it usually goes

          • Zuzak [fae/faer, she/her]
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            Well like I said we haven't had very many systems or otherkin, so some people might not understand, but like we have it/its pronouns for a reason, because it's a valid way to identify. Generally questioning someone's gender identity is strictly against the rules, and the reason that an exception was made in your case was because people confused you with a troll. You probably don't have much faith in our mods after they removed some of your comments, but I can promise it was an honest mistake, and I believe that if anyone tries to give you shit for it again, they'll remove it. They said here

            In addition, we would like to reiterate that Hexbear is a space for all our comrades, even if you may not understand their experience, please refrain from labeling a fellow user a wrecker or troll. Using conditions as a pejorative is not allowed, please engage in good-faith and remember the human!

            As for plurality, I remember a system actually did an AMA a couple years ago when the site was pretty new, some things have changed and I think some people are more aware of it now, but it might help get an impression of what kind of responses you might encounter.

          • silent_water [she/her]
            ·
            1 year ago

            weirdly, plurality and otherkin have explained their experience on this site at length in the past so it's a easier to understand model for many of us.

            • DroneRights [it/its]
              ·
              1 year ago

              But plurality and otherkin aren't my gender. There's a lot of intersectionality but it's its own thing too. I thought nonbinary gender was more accepted than otherkin

                • DroneRights [it/its]
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  1 year ago

                  Yeah, it's always "I support nonbinary people" until they hear what any nonbinary gender actually is. Then straight back to transphobia, do not pass go, do not collect 200$

                  I think I would have been treated just the same if I were cactusgender, diamondgender, or spacegender.