this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2025
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Blåhaj Lemmy is a Lemmy instance attached to blahaj.zone. This is a group for questions or discussions relevant to either instance.

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This post is "FYI only" for blahaj lemmy members. It is not a debate, and is not intended for non blahaj lemmy users to weigh in and offer opinions.

I recently received reports of a feddit.uk user espousing transphobia. Specifically, this was a feddit.uk user refusing to use the word cis, repeating the "adult human female" dog whistle, and claiming that trans women are not women. I approached a member of the feddit.uk admin team and raised my concerns and sought clarification of their stance on posts like this, where the transphobia is mostly dogwhistles, and "civil disagreement" on the validity of trans folk.

I was told by the feddit.uk admin that their preferred response is this kind of transphobia is to "sort it out through discussion and voting". However, the comments in question are currently more upvoted than downvoted, and little "sorting out" has occurred. The posts remain in place.

At this point, the admin stopped responding to my messages despite being active elsewhere on lemmy. When it became clear they were ignoring my messages and had no intention of removing the posts in question, I made the decision to defederate the instance.

I know some folk agree with the feddit.uk admins approach of pushback through discussion and voting, but this instance is not designed to be that kind of space. Blahaj lemmy is meant to be a place where we can avoid the rampant transphobia universally visible on nearly every other social media platform, and where we can exist without needing to debate our right to do so.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

These are tough calls to make. On the one hand I applaud the step taken to protect the community hosted by this instance, on the other I also find that simply cuting ties and conversation only furthers the divide.

Sure we should not have to defend the validity of our existence, and also realise that most hate leaves little place for heathy discussions. But in avoiding their echo chambers I find we quiet ours too, we renounce our visibility for our comfort and theirs.

I guess I wish there were other ways to warn users about potentially triggering instances rather than outright defederating, but I do understand your main motives.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

You are absolutely welcome to maintain an account on another instance and here if you want to have the option of having those discussions. And I don't mean that in a "Well, there's the door" way. What I'm trying to say is that if you don't want to have the types of conversations you're talking about, it's currently very hard to find spaces that make that possible. That's why lbz exists in the form it does. However, I completely understand that some people do want that opportunity. And if that's you, you're welcome to maintain multiple accounts. You'll always have a space here, but you can also use instances that give you access to less protective spaces.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 days ago

ada continues to be the realest MVP

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Good riddance, fuck TERF island. If communities don't like this change they can move to an instance that isn't filled with and supported by transphobes.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago

Thanks ADA and I appreciate all the work that you've done. This is why I love Blahaj Lemmy, I dont want to deal with that nonsense.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Calm discussion doesn't work, ridicule them and deplatform them.

They've only grown stronger because the neolibs want calm discussion between The people who want to exist and the bigots who hate them for existing.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago

Thank you Ada. I really appreciate having a safe space like this.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 3 days ago

If instances aren't willing to moderate themselves when it comes to transphobia they should get the boot. I hope more instances defederate feddit.uk over this. Might make them change course and rethink if they should maybe moderate better.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 3 days ago

Transphobia has no place on anything I use. I may not be one of the folks on your instance, but I still appreciate the good work.

[–] [email protected] 212 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (7 children)

Obviously I'm not on blahaj, but I think the decision is pretty on point for the goals of blahaj.

It also makes me disappointed in feddit.uk. "Leave it to discussion/votes" is bullshit and just support for the behavior.

Edit: The admin responded elsewhere with "we want to make sure we comply with the law".

My comment remains unchanged. Allowing this is support. Fuck your bullshit law. You're explicitly supporting this bullshit by your inaction.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 4 days ago (1 children)

"we want to make sure we comply with the law"

on here?

...Christ, why? lmao

They must think they're the main character of lemmy or someshit.

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[–] [email protected] 89 points 4 days ago (7 children)

Right? Imagine if you said that about the rights for like black women or something? Like, come ON. It's 2025, we KNOW these behaviors are bigoted, rules are way too chill with letting shit like that fly, and is part of the reason it's so prolific now - it's not being treated like the hate speech that it is, and people in power in certain places are like "no I'm not sure we need to discuss it again". It's just gross and horrible and makes me feel so fucking helpless sometimes when a space is dominated with shitties like that.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Damn. I don't want to engage with them either now. Are there any better UK instances? I'm getting sick and tired of the Starmer apologetics and general meltery on there anyway.

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[–] [email protected] 52 points 4 days ago

hard mode: uk stop being transphobic for two seconds.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 3 days ago

Thank you for taking real direct action on issues like this. It keeps our community safe.

[–] [email protected] 81 points 4 days ago

As a denizen of terf island myself, all I can say is; fucking good! Our enemies hide behind statements like "just asking questions", but there's no room for debate when it comes to people's rights and look where that thinking has gotten us.

The time for debate is over. I want my rights back.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 4 days ago

Terf island strikes again!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago

This is the way.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Ada trying not to slay challenge (Impossible)

[–] [email protected] 36 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I appreciate this move. The nice thing about the Fediverse is that admins can take a step like this to protect the integrity of this instance, and users can still engage with that stuff if they create an account on another instance. I'll continue to argue with bigots elsewhere but I'm grateful for how the admins curate Blahaj Lemmy.

It's a shame how the UK seems to be heading backwards on human rights, and shameful how the UK government has decided to throw in with the bigots and embolden them.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 days ago

slay 💜💅🏻

[–] [email protected] 87 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (9 children)

I'm not a blåhaj user, but I really hope the feddit.uk mindset on this doesn't spread to other instances.

Why do divisive people have to care so much about letting people do what they want if it doesn't affect them? What someone wants to do with their body does NOT affect you, but your open derogatory statements about them DOES affect them!

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 days ago (2 children)

How did a transphobic comic get positive votes on lemmy?

[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Unfortunately some kinds of transphobia gets upvoted now and then because cis people don't always understand what we're going through and what is hurtful or oppressive. Some people just have this stance that others should take things even if they have no understanding of what it's like to actually be the victim of systemic/societal discrimination.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 days ago

Oh man, that's truly disheartening to see, especially how I noticed a lot more people that are being just unnecessarily mean 😟

Thank you for taking the appropriate steps to deal with this 😄

[–] [email protected] 64 points 4 days ago

Blahaj user and former Brit here ... well done Ada for consistency and transparency regarding this.

The whole "let it play out" attitude really says it all, it shows cowardice and a lack of leadership ... kind of like the current prime minister.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

Thank you Ada!

[–] [email protected] 35 points 4 days ago

I'm coming from a small brazillian instance and we're also getting attacks on the brazillian trans community, on our case is the medical association, dictating that doctors couldn't treat trans kids.

I asked my admin to support you and to de federate them until they change their policy, hope other instances join too.

[–] [email protected] 90 points 4 days ago

You kick ass Ada. Thanks for all you do.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Thank you Ada and mods. It's too easy to manipulate discussion and voting, which is why safe spaces were created.

[–] [email protected] 58 points 4 days ago

Another non-blahaj here to say FUCK YEAH, Ada.

Deplatforming works. Demanding civility from people under attack by disingenuous, insincere "intellectuals" is so much more than just tone policing; it's direct enablement of disenfranchisement and allowing the spread of harm.

It's easy to be bad. It's hard to be good. When bad people are allowed to express their evil ideologies, it is much easier for people to pick up the evil than for the righteous to defend the good.

We cannot be tolerant of intolerance.

So, again, FUCK YEAH, Ada. You rock for protecting your users AND the rest of the world by contributing to the deplatforming of bigots.

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